Follow the Pull

Double down on what gets unexpected traction rather than sticking to your original plan

Gergely Orosz
Leaving big tech to build the #1 technology newsletter

Follow the Pull

"One of the biggest, best things about doing what we do when you're in charge of your time is, you can double down on pulls." - Gergely Orosz

What It Is

When you're building something—a product, a business, a career—pay attention to what gets unexpectedly strong interest. That "pull" from the market is signal. Rather than rigidly executing your original plan, follow the pull by doubling down on what's resonating.

Gergely's newsletter wasn't his original plan. He left Uber to start a VC-funded startup in platform engineering. But when his blog posts and mobile engineering book got unexpected traction, he followed that pull instead of forcing his original path.

How It Works

The Signal:

  • More messages than usual
  • Faster response times
  • People volunteering help or interest
  • Organic sharing without your promotion
  • Revenue or sign-ups from unexpected places

The Response:

  1. Notice the pull - Something resonated more than expected
  2. Understand why - What need did you hit?
  3. Double down - Allocate more resources to the pull
  4. Iterate rapidly - Test if the pull sustains with more investment

How to Apply It

  1. Create optionality - Put out multiple bets so you can detect pull
  2. Measure response - Track engagement, revenue, messages, shares
  3. Stay flexible - Don't be married to your original plan
  4. Move fast - When you feel pull, redirect quickly

Gergely's pull moment: "I just put a draft out, a really long blog post about mobile engineering, and I got a ton of messages, a lot. I usually used to get like three or four messages on Twitter per day. I got 20 in an hour, people saying, 'Can I read the draft?'"

When to Use It

  • Early in a new venture when you're still searching for product-market fit
  • When experimenting with different content formats or topics
  • When you notice unexpected interest in a side project
  • Any time you're looking for what to focus on next

The Counterweight

Following pull requires that you:

  1. Have created enough bets to detect pull in the first place
  2. Have the flexibility to redirect (cleared calendar, savings, etc.)
  3. Trust your judgment about what real pull looks like vs. noise

As Lenny observed in the conversation: "I just take it to... I see where pull is coming from, and if it feels like an interesting opportunity and something that I'd be excited to work on, I explore it."

Case Study: Blog to Book to Newsletter

Gergely's path shows follow the pull in action:

  1. Original plan: Finish a book, then start a VC-funded startup
  2. First pull: Blog post about mobile engineering got massive engagement
  3. Response: "For the next two months, I'm going to write this book, because it seems there's an interest"
  4. Second pull: Books made $100,000 in year one
  5. Response: "That's interesting. People are buying my books."
  6. Third pull: Newsletter audience grew rapidly
  7. Final response: Abandoned startup plan, went full-time newsletter

Each pull redirected his path further from the original plan, toward greater success.

Warnings

  • Don't mistake noise for signal—look for sustained pull
  • One viral moment isn't enough—verify the pull persists
  • Following pull requires abandoning something else—be ready to let go
  • Not all pull leads somewhere good—use judgment

Source

  • Guest: Gergely Orosz
  • Episode: "Leaving big tech to build the #1 technology newsletter"
  • Key Discussion: (00:53:00 - 00:55:00) - Following the pull when interest surges
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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