Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making

by Tony Fadell

Most people don’t even want to acknowledge that there are opinion-driven decisions or that they have to make them. Because if you follow your gut and your gut is wrong, then there’s nowhere else to cast blame. But if all you did was follow the data and you still failed, then clearly something else was wrong. Someone else screwed up. This is often a tactic of people who are trying to cover their asses. It’s not my fault! I just went where the data sent me! The data doesn’t lie! That’s why some managers and execs and shareholders demand data even when there is none and then chase that imaginary data directly into the abyss. These are the kinds of people who won’t question their directions and drive their car right off a cliff. If at all possible they want to erase the human element—human judgment—from the equation. These are also the people who will call in the big-league, very expensive (and in my opinion worthless) consultants at the drop of a hat. They’ll happily second-guess your decision, then rip it right out of your hands and pass it to people who have no context or understanding of your product, company, or culture.