Mark Pincus, best known for founding Zynga, uses a crisp mental model to keep product teams disciplined: be**Proven → Better → New**. This is relevant when trying to create [[niche wins]] that unlock the [[application layer opportunity]] Start with something **customers already love**, polish it until it gleams, then sprinkle in ***one*** fresh twist. Yes, just 1. He borrowed the insight from watching hits (and flops) across tech, gaming, and Hollywood: when you bet everything on the shiny unknown, you multiply risk; when you ground yourself in what works, you multiply odds of winning. See related: [[Operating Principles#9. Mask newness, change in tradition.]] ### 3 key insights worth remembering 1. **Sequels show the power of “Proven”** Hollywood’s maths tells the story: between 2014 and 2024, sequels accounted for **≈60% of global box-office revenue** most years, even though they represented barely a third of releases. The audience craves ***familiarity***, investors crave predictable cash flow. Products are no different - starting from a base that has market traction means you’re ***iterating on appetite, not trying to create hunger.*** 2. **Cap the “New” at ~20%.** Pincus’s rule-of-thumb is surgical: keep four-fifths of the experience familiar and push the envelope on the remaining fifth. Zynga Poker followed this playbook: classic Texas Hold’em (80 %) plus one radical twist: real-name, Facebook-connected friends around the virtual table (20 %). Result? **Daily active users jumped 35 % in six months** and the game financed Zynga’s IPO run-up. 3. **Obvious > Ornate.** Steve Jobs hacked back Apple’s sprawling 15-product line to just four, then lifted the iMac’s CD drive, handle, and colours **straight from consumer electronics that already sold.** Not fancy, just focused. Within three years, **Apple’s annual revenue doubled** and the company clawed back from near-bankruptcy. The lesson: before chasing moon-shots, nail the “why didn’t we do this yesterday?” improvements. ### So what? (Actionable takeaways) 1. **Audit for “proven” every quarter.** List the core instincts users already display: jobs-to-be-done they’re solving with duct-tape work-arounds or rival tools. That’s your proven bedrock. 2. **Define a “20 % sandbox”**. Give designers and engineers explicit licence to experiment, but constrain it. A smaller blast radius invites bolder tests while shielding the rest of the roadmap. 3. **Ship small, ship fast, measure ruthlessly.** Treat each “better” tweak and each “new” twist like an A/B test: success moves to production, failure gets composted into learning: no drama, no sunk-cost fallacy. 4. **Tell a sequel-worthy story.** Position releases as familiar favourites upgraded: “All the flavour you love, now with…” This framing lowers adoption friction and sets expectation that the best bits didn’t vanish. Remember, innovation is rarely a lightning bolt. It’s more often a well-aimed upgrade: grounded in proof, sharpened for today, accented with just enough surprise to make customers smile. Related: [[Product Management x Marketing is one]] | [[Team Growth x Product Market Fit]]