It is the growth obsession that led to uber and wework. Clearly that approach does not work.

Before you grow

https://blog.ycombinator.com/before-you-grow/

Sam Altman (y combinator) - “ Startups are defined by growth, but growth isn’t step one in building a great company. If you focus on trying to grow before you make a product people love, you are unlikely to succeed.

We’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating–many founders hurt their companies by focusing on growth too soon.

I’m not saying don’t grow at all–getting people to use your product, even in its earliest form, will help you better understand what your customers want. But focusing too heavily on growth before you’ve built something people love leads to the leaky bucket problem. You can get users to come in the door, but they don’t stay, and likely won’t return.

If you first make sure your product is loved, it will be much easier to grow. Users will be easier to retain, and they’ll tell others about what you’ve made. Your users essentially become a free marketing and sales force for you. Your chances of building a giant company are much higher when you have a product that spreads by word of mouth. “