A Post-Mortem and The Need for Pivot

Servus everyone,

In our quest to deliver a unique, intuitive, and valuable product, we launched marduk.xyz, an innovative RSS reader implemented as a Progressive Web App (PWA). Unfortunately, not all journeys follow a straight path, and ours has been no exception.

The Beginning

The concept was simple and attractive: a stripped-down, user-friendly RSS reader that depended on unofficial APIs from major platforms like Reddit and Twitter. For Reddit, we utilized Teddit, and for Twitter, we employed Nitter.

The launch of our app was subtle, our presence on Hacker News was humble with two upvotes (from friends, nonetheless). Despite this low-key beginning, we were optimistic and confident in the potential value marduk.xyz could offer to users.

Unforeseen Challenges

However, our path took an unexpected turn when Elon Musk bought Twitter and Reddit began planning for an IPO. These significant changes led to alterations in their APIs, causing our PWA to stop functioning after just two weeks.

The dependency on these unofficial APIs, which had initially been a strategic choice for providing a unique user experience, eventually became our Achilles heel.

The Need for Pivot

These events have forced us to step back and reconsider our strategy. marduk.xyz needs to pivot to ensure its survival and relevance in this ever-evolving digital landscape.

At this juncture, we are exploring multiple avenues and are determined to bring a redefined, resilient product to you all. We are seeking your ideas and input as we consider our next steps, and we remain committed to creating a product that meets your needs.

Conclusion

We want to thank each of you who embarked on this journey with us. The evolution of marduk.xyz may not have been easy, but we are stronger and more determined than ever. We will keep you updated as we move forward with the exciting process of reinventing our product.


Stay tuned for more updates, and remember: every end is just a new beginning. Blogpost Co-written by GPT-4 (OpenAI)