#196 My Biggest Project (08/03/2026)

I've heard/read it more than once in the past that ultimately, the greatest product resulting from a person's work is not the product/service itself, but rather the entire system and company they've built. ("The product is not the product, but the company itself.") — I can't quite recall which specific book it was from or the exact wording, but the sentence left a strong impression on me.

Initially, I found it hard to believe or didn't fully understand it. As many of you know, I started out in product development, and I've always believed that if you make a good product, your product will speak for itself. And that the product is always the most important thing. While I still largely hold this view, I'm beginning to understand the reasoning behind that statement. Once you've created a good product – that's the basic foundation – how do you build an entire system to ensure long-term quality control, diverse styles, gradually increasing cost-effectiveness, and reaching more people? All these aspects are incredibly important, arguably just as important as creating a good product. Because if you succeed in making one good product, but you can't consistently produce 100 or 1,000 equally good ones, if there are frequent quality issues, or if your sales staff have poor attitudes, or if there are constant errors and problems, then in reality, you're merely an artist, not someone truly contributing to societal progress.

Over the past year or two, I've felt lost, worried, and unsure of how to proceed, finding the path ahead incredibly difficult. I imagine you might have felt that too, from reading my previous weekly journals. But recently, starting around the end of last year when I went to Shanghai with Jason and another friend, it feels like I've rediscovered my original passion for product development and my future direction. Also, the biggest project I've been working on recently is restructuring the entire company. This isn't just talk; I've actually started designing some systems that I believe are either new to the market or perhaps even a first. Although, to be honest, no one knows what will happen next, I'm doing my best.