🦅 How a Flop Became a Multi-Million Dollar Business

In this issue, you’ll find:

• How a flop became a multi-million dollar business

• News creators should know

• Where do you post daily?

How a Flop Became a Multi-Million Dollar Business

When you think of Slack, you probably picture team chats and modern work, but few realize it started as a failed side project.

1. Don’t Dismiss What You Build Along the Way

The project that never took off was an online game. While focused on this project, the team built a chat tool to help communication. That tool turned out to be the foundation block of Slack.

If your main product isn’t working, look closely at the resources, shortcuts, or tools you’ve developed for yourself. What’s saving you time or making your workflow easier? Maybe it’s your Notion setup, a content prompt library, or an automation you use every day.

That might be exactly what others want, too.

2. Don’t Fall in Love With Your First Idea

The Slack team could have kept tweaking their game. Instead, they were brave enough to let go and double down on what worked: their chat tool.

If your main offer isn’t catching on, look at where your audience is getting the most value. Be willing to shift focus, repackage, or launch something new.

Sometimes, letting go leads to your biggest win.

3. Small, Useful Products Can Change Everything

Slack didn’t start with fancy marketing or a huge budget. It spread because it solved a real problem for its first users, then word of mouth did the rest.

Build something that solves a real pain point for you and your peers.

Test it in your workflow. When it clicks, share it. Your users can become your best marketers, especially if you’re a solo builder.

Reddit Wants to Be Your Next Search Engine

Reddit is moving beyond forums and aiming to become a top search destination. With 70 million using its search weekly and 6 million on Reddit Answers, it’s rolling out a unified search interface and making search front-and-center in its app. The goal is to make Reddit the go-to place for finding answers.

→ Find out more

Apple Is Building Its Own ChatGPT

Apple has formed a new group: “Answers, Knowledge, and Information.” Its focus is on developing an AI-powered search. The goal? A ChatGPT-like experience, built in-house. Apple is already hiring engineers with search and algorithm chops, signaling they’re serious about competing in AI search.

→ Find out more

Instagram’s New Live-Streaming Rules Just Sidelined Small Creators

Instagram now requires at least 1,000 followers to go live, a significant blow to smaller creators who relied on IG Live to connect with niche audiences. Meta hasn’t explained the move, but it likely comes down to costs, safety concerns, and aligning with TikTok’s rules. The result? Fewer opportunities for up-and-coming creators and reduced discoverability. If you’re under the threshold, it’s time to focus on building your audience before you hit that “Go Live” button.

→ Find out more

Last poll: Who Will Kill Google Chrome’s Dominance?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟡 Perplexity (46.15%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔵 OpenAI

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🟤 Antitrust Regulators

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🟣 No one

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔴 xAI

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Don’t forget to try Hypefury (for free) if you haven’t yet.

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick Veys
Co-founder and CMO of Hypefury