---
title: "Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome"
section: "Operational Excellence"
sectionId: "operational-excellence"
date: "2026-05"
---

## Stay in Your Lane

One of the most common ways founders destroy momentum is by chasing trends that have nothing to do with their business.

You do not need to pivot to Web3 because it is trending on Twitter. You do not need to integrate NFTs or blockchain technology if you are not a crypto company. These pivots signal to investors, employees, and customers that the founder is reactive and lacks conviction in their own thesis.

## Founder ADHD

Jason Calacanis calls this **Founder ADHD** — the tendency to constantly look at what other companies are doing and wonder whether you should be doing the same thing.

> **If you find oil, keep drilling.**

The startups that win are the ones that find a real vein of value and go deeper into it, not the ones that abandon it the moment the next shiny thing appears.

## What It Costs You

Every detour has a compounding cost:

- Engineering time spent building features nobody asked for
- Management attention pulled away from the core product
- Team confusion about what the company is actually trying to do
- Lost momentum in the areas where you were actually making progress

## The Test

Before adding any major new initiative, ask: does this make our core product better for our existing customers, or does it exist because something external made it seem exciting?

If it is the latter, it is probably shiny object syndrome.