The MVP is not minimum product—it is minimum proof of fire.

An MVP should not prove that something works—it should prove that someone must. The point is not to show feasibility, but to expose necessity.

In most circles, MVP is shorthand for “just enough to ship.” But that interpretation dilutes the entire purpose of early-stage building. The minimum viable product is not an excuse for incompleteness. It is a filter—for the builder, the audience, and the idea itself. The question is not “Does this function?” but “Does this burn?” Does it cut through apathy, bypass politeness, and make it impossible to go back to a world without it?