Growth Job Myths Exposed | Generated by AI
Question: What are unpopular ideas about user growth jobs in tech?
Answer:
User growth roles in tech, such as Growth Product Managers or growth hackers focused on user acquisition and retention, often face criticism despite their prominence in startups and big tech. Here are some unpopular or controversial ideas drawn from industry discussions:
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Growth roles are overhyped or “BS”: Many view “Growth PM” as a meaningless or invented title, essentially rebranded marketing or optimization work without deep product strategy. Critics argue all good Product Managers should drive growth, making specialized growth roles unnecessary at scale.
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Sustainable growth is a myth for most: True organic user growth is rare and hard to achieve without massive spending on ads, incentives, or “hacks” that inflate short-term metrics (e.g., sign-ups) but lead to high churn. Early viral successes often mask underlying issues like poor retention.
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Growth hacking has lost its edge: Once celebrated for clever, low-cost tactics (e.g., referrals, SEO exploits), it’s now seen as outdated or manipulative. Modern growth relies more on product-led strategies, data rigor, and paid channels, with “hacks” yielding diminishing returns.
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Focus on acquisition harms long-term health: Prioritizing top-of-funnel metrics (e.g., new users) often degrades user quality, increases churn, and ignores retention or monetization. Churn is the real indicator of success, but growth teams get rewarded for vanity metrics.
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These roles attract the wrong people: Growth jobs can draw non-technical entrants into high-paying tech positions, especially post-pandemic hiring booms, leading to perceptions of them as an “entry ticket” for less qualified candidates.
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Success depends more on company resources than skill: Impressive growth stories (e.g., at early Facebook or Instagram) often stem from funding for marketing spend rather than individual brilliance. In underfunded startups, growth efforts fail quietly.
These views challenge the glamour around growth roles, emphasizing that real product-market fit and retention drive lasting success over acquisition tactics.
References:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/comments/1bf7xr0/what_are_your_unpopular_opinions_as_a_product/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/comments/gp8yd3/growth_product_management/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/comments/1anzk7o/any_growth_product_managers/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/comments/su0izr/wtf_is_a_growth_pm/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ProductManagement/comments/1d7b0bv/what_are_the_pro_and_cons_of_growth_product/
- https://startupnaama.com/2025/05/29/18-unpopular-startup-opinions-that-might-actually-be-true/
- https://andrewchen.substack.com/p/10-years-after-growth-hacking