In the world of startups, there’s a concept called a “pivot.” This happens when a startup realizes that its original model isn’t working and makes a drastic shift in direction. Most companies don’t choose a new direction at random; rather, they pivot based on something they already have – a side product, a specific feature, or a core competency.

History has seen plenty of interesting pivots.

YouTube began with two guys, Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, who, along with co-founder Jawed Karim, noticed a distressing problem: nowhere online to watch Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” or footage of the 2004 tsunami.

https://reddit.com/link/1gr18uv/video/xd14thoy3u0e1/player

Naturally, they decided to solve this by… creating a dating platform, not a video-hosting site. They even launched it on Valentine’s Day. But, surprise – no one was looking for love on YouTube.

Instead, users started uploading videos of themselves, their pets, hobbies, and travels—not for dating purposes. The founders made a pivot, removing the platform’s specialization, and allowing people to use YouTube as we do today.

Other examples of successful pivots include X (formerly Twitter), which was originally intended as a messaging platform; Instagram, which began as a location-based app called Burbn before transforming into the photo-sharing app we know today; and Viagra, intended as a blood pressure drug but… well, it found other strengths.

So, what other examples do you know?