Destructive Criticism as a Service
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Hello There,

This post is an announcement for a new service I'm offering, Destructive Criticism as a Service, mainly offered to new and upcoming startups/founders in the tech space.

What do I mean by that? It's exactly what it sounds like, in my opinion constructive criticism has been heralded as such a positive phenomenon (and it is), that people tend to underestimate how useful destructive criticism is. It can save you years of wasted effort on an idea that you believed in too strongly for too long, and people around you were being too nice to tell you that your "brilliant" idea is actually fucking stupid.

So I can do that for you; I will be the party pooper and tell you how stupid your startup idea is, exactly in what ways it is stupid, exactly what are the ground realities as to why it will never work (in my opinion).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to take this service?

Zero dollars. If I ever end up getting so many clients that I'm spending too much time on this, then I will probably outright refuse service to most of the people reaching out due to time constraints, but I don't think that will ever happen.

But, isn't the internet already full of trolls who will give you plenty of destructive criticism? Why shouldn't I just get feedback by "building in public"??

Well, you could, but random strangers on the internet might not be as meticulous as I am, and (social media filters/your brand manager/you unconsciously) might block these naysayers, or they might be lost/downvoted by other people who are lost in the hype. Or, they might go the other extreme and provide criticism on the person.

I will not do that, but I will call your idea fucking stupid, if it is fucking stupid.

Why can't I just ask Claude/ChatGPT/other LLMs to roast my idea, how are you better than them?

I'm not better than them. You could very well go and ask your favorite LLM to roast your idea, and it will be "happy" to generate some text saying your idea won't work. But in my opinion, the majority of these large language models have been trained as helpful assistants, and while they might give you very good constructive/destructive criticism, in my opinion, it just doesn't feel like it sincerely hates your idea.

You won't have that problem with me.

What expertise do you have? Why would anyone care about your criticism?

Very little expertise. I'm not a seasoned veteran in any field really, but I know a little bit about AI, software development and finance sectors from my grand total of 2 years of experience, which is not a lot, and you could say that since I have no major expertise, my criticism therefore has very little value. Buuuut, my counterpoint would be that I believe I am not affected by the AI Hype Beast, and I am a fairly grounded and cynical person when it comes to new technologies, and that might be juuust what you need from someone to call your startup idea stupid.

What if you're wrong? What if you thought my idea was stupid, but it ended up working out well?

Good for you. People are wrong about a lot of things all the time and I am no exception, although I will probably still consider your idea to be stupid even if it looks successful unless you radically changed your idea.

Why would anyone in their right mind take this service?

Most people probably wouldn't take this service even while inebriated, but there might be some people (statistically speaking) unconventional enough to come seek me out, they might voluntarily want a hardcore hazing of their idea before pitching it to potential investors, or they might just be masochistic. Whatever the reason they may have, they are welcome to try.

Sounds interesting, how do I use this service?

You can contact me at : yrx41v8v@anonaddy.me. Do note that by contacting this email, you acknowledge and agree to the following disclaimer:

Disclaimer

  1. Nothing I say is financial, legal, investment, business, or professional advice of any kind. It is opinion, and opinion only.

  2. I am not a qualified expert, licensed professional, or certified anything in AI, software development, finance, or any other field. My credentials consist of roughly two years of work experience.

  3. I accept no legal responsibility or liability whatsoever for any decision you make, or fail to make, based on my criticism. If you abandon a billion-dollar idea because I called it stupid, that's on you. If you pursue a stupid idea despite me calling it stupid, that's also on you.

  4. My criticism may be wrong, incomplete, biased, outdated, or just plain mean. I make no guarantees about its accuracy, usefulness, or emotional impact.

  5. I will not sign an NDA. Don't send me anything you consider confidential or proprietary. I won't intentionally leak your idea, but I also make no promises about keeping it secret, and I may reference it (anonymised) as an example of a stupid idea in the future.

  6. This is a free, informal service provided as-is with no warranties, express or implied. There is no contract, no client relationship, and no obligation on my part to respond at all.

  7. Any resemblance between my criticism and your eventual failure is coincidental, and I will not be taking credit or blame for it.

  8. If you're not okay with being told your idea is fucking stupid, do not email me.

  9. My criticism is directed at the idea, not at you as a person. If you feel it has crossed that line, tell me and our engagement will end right there.

  10. This disclaimer is governed by the laws of Republic of India.