Ronny Kohavi
Don't Ship On Flat
Inspired by Ronny Kohavi episode
You tried a new bedtime routine. It didn't work. Ship it? No. Kohavi's rule: if an experiment shows zero improvement, don't implement it. Maintenance costs too high.
You spent three weeks implementing "Gentle Sleep Training Method #47" from that book everyone recommended. The kid still wakes up at 5:47am. Every. Single. Day.
Ronny Kohavi's team won't ship experiments that show no improvement. Zero benefit? Don't add it to the codebase. It just creates maintenance overhead. You tried it. The data came back flat. Kill it.
But you already bought the special nightlight. And the white noise machine. And you told your sister-in-law it was working (it wasn't). So now you're stuck maintaining a bedtime routine that includes seventeen steps and delivers the exact same 5:47am wake-up you had before.
Kill the flat experiments. That elaborate reward chart? Not working. Gone. The gentle timer for teeth brushing? Kid ignores it. Donate it. Every parenting tactic you keep running costs you energy. Only ship the winners.
