Indie Hacking Playbook Is Dead: Tiny SaaS Now Resembles 2019 Dropshipping
nico_jeannen · x · 2026-09-17
Developer nicojeannen shares Jason Cohen's long-form piece on the Iterative-Hypothesis customer development method, arguing that building tiny SaaS and mobile apps today is like doing Print on Demand in 2019 — Codex-level tools destroyed the entry barrier, and the 2013–2023 playbook of solving one tiny problem, building in public and doing SEO no longer yields a business.
Cohen's method centers on interviewing: the goal is to uncover truth, not to sell — the most common mistake is turning the hour into a pitch, where polite interviewees say "sounds good" and you learn nothing. Cohen credits this system with rejecting bad startup ideas, choosing WP Engine's direction, and picking the right early features on the way to a unicorn.
nico says the article heavily informed his launch of AdKit a year ago.
Related event: Indie Dev Declares Tiny SaaS Golden Era Over as AI Coding Levels the Field(4 posts)→
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