Privacy Pendulum Shifts

Shaan Puri shares his evolving perspective on privacy in tech, noting a significant shift in consumer attitudes. While people historically traded privacy for convenience, recent events and repeated breaches have changed this dynamic.

• Privacy Attitude Evolution:

  • Previously believed people didn't care about privacy when given free products
  • Now sees a clear pendulum swing toward privacy consciousness
  • People increasingly distrust big tech companies

• Drivers of Privacy Concerns:

  • Multiple factors stack up over time:
    • Repeated data breaches
    • Facebook fake news issues
    • Constant security breach notifications
    • General erosion of trust in tech companies

• Market Opportunity Requirements:

  • Privacy-focused products work best when:
    • Built for globally used products (search, email)
    • Target mainstream services everyone uses
    • Can capture 1-2% of massive market
  • Avoid niche products:
    • Small market segment of privacy-conscious users
    • Need large total addressable market

• Real World Examples:

  • DuckDuckGo:
    • 62 million queries per day
    • Compared to Google's 3.5 billion
    • Proves viable business despite smaller market share
  • Hey.com:
    • Email privacy focus
    • Demonstrates success possible in mainstream category
  • Superhuman:
    • Premium email ($30/month)
    • Successfully targets 1-2% of email market