[ericb]

My complaints about worshipping at the lean startup alter...

The lean model only leads you to local maxima. It can't discover any feature where the sum is greater than it's parts, or critical mass is required. I'm looking at the iphone as an example.

Critical mass is another apt analogy. Just like a fusion reaction requires a certain size to become self sustaining, some businesses require more more effort to start. Pivoting is the antithetical to getting the very largest and most valuable flywheels spinning.

Not that it doesn't have it's merits, but I think lean startups are oversold.