“never give away an account for free always charge people if people pay for it they'll use it that's key to what you want at this stage in the playbook you want people using your product you want people telling you why it's crap”

Refuse Free Accounts Because Paying Users Are The Only Ones Who Actually Use The Product

Mike refuses free accounts even in the earliest days. Charging a one-time LTD fee filters for users who will actually log in, use the product, and give brutal feedback. Free users don't activate, so they don't produce the signal you need to fix the MVP — payment is a feedback-quality filter, not just a revenue lever.