AI made software cheap to build. A startup can get an MVP to market in hours. But nobody is using 100 times as many applications. Faster development does not make it easier to discover what people want. Without talking to users, you simply build the wrong thing faster. A product is a promise that its creator understands the user’s problem, has the judgment to solve it, and will keep doing the work after the user comes on board. A landing page, a Stripe integration, and a working first iteration prove only that the thing can be built. In 2026, that is no longer enough. Crickets at launch are just the starting point. The continued work and advocacy are where real growth happens.