Iteration Velocity Principle

Guillermo Rauch's core principle is that iteration velocity is the most critical factor for success in software development and business.

The Iteration Velocity Principle

• The most important thing to optimize for is how quickly you can go from idea to shareable artifact
• Focus on streamlining the deployment pipeline of ideas
• Obsession with reducing friction from idea to live product down to seconds
• Measured each millisecond of the deployment process to optimize speed

Why This Matters

• The web is fluid and alive - should be able to ship multiple times per day
• Getting ideas out into the world quickly allows you to see if they stick
• Example: DoorDash started with one HTML page and six PDFs of restaurant menus
• The most important thing is to get the idea out as a URL and test it

How Vercel Was Born

• Previous experience at WordPress showed limitations in deployment speed
• At WordPress, new ideas got stuck waiting for IT to set up servers
• Created Vercel to reduce friction between idea and deployment to seconds
• Focused on measuring and optimizing every millisecond of the deployment process
• Goal was to make rapid deployment the norm, not the exception

Business Impact

• This approach has made Vercel successful with both large companies and startups
• Powers investment banks and most Y Combinator startups
• Allows businesses to try new ideas quickly without technical friction
• Creates a competitive advantage through speed of iteration

Application to User Experience

• Applies the same principle to user onboarding and forms
• Remove distractions that take users out of the flow
• Example: In forms, don't make logos clickable or add unnecessary links
• Focus on one task at a time (like Typeform's one-question-at-a-time approach)