05/11/2026
“Maybe we need to pivot.”
It’s one of the most common sentences in startups. It appears in meetings, investor updates, and late-night founder conversations. It often sounds like a strategic decision, a sign of adaptability, a move toward something better.
But more often than not, it’s something else.
It’s an escape.
An escape from going deeper into the problem. An escape from the discomfort of not having clear answers. An escape from the hard work of truly understanding what is not working.
Pivoting feels productive. It creates movement. It gives the impression that something is changing, that progress is being made. But changing direction is not the same as making progress.