A pivot is a structured change in product direction that keeps one foot in what you've learned: same customer with a new problem, same problem with a new solution, or the side feature promoted to the whole product.
Pivots are evidence-driven, not mood-driven.
Iteration tunes the current bet; a pivot replaces it. If you're changing the headline, the ICP, or the core workflow, that's a pivot — give it a fresh validation plan rather than judging it with the old metrics.
Practical answers
Serial pivoting without completed learning loops is thrashing. Each direction deserves a real test — defined hypothesis, real users, honest read — before being abandoned.
Constantly: Slack from a game, Instagram from a check-in app. The skill is keeping the validated asset — audience, tech, insight — while replacing what failed.
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