It was always a bad habit. But in the AI transition, it has become deadly.

Elena's Growth Scoop

Revenue addiction — optimizing everything for short-term revenue at the expense of innovation, culture, and customer value — has always been a slow killer for companies. In the current AI disruption era, it has become fatal. Companies fixated on quarterly revenue targets kill risk-taking, suppress long-term bets, poison culture, and lose sight of customers. The alternative is treating revenue as an output of delivering customer value, not the primary objective. Using Lovable as an example, the author advocates for North Star metrics tied to product engagement and qualitative customer satisfaction scores. Revenue addiction is nearly impossible to cure from within; employees should plan their exit if they see the signs, while founders and execs must make structural changes at the leadership level before it's too late.

Revenue addiction kills companies.

What’s the alternative? Revenue as an output, not an objective.

<p>Sustainability while providing value is a hard balance to reach. Thinking only of revenue is what makes businesses cut corners and profit in the short term.</p>
<p>I like the ideals of employee and customer satisfaction, long-term goals, and–hardest of all–striking the balance between time-to-market and building a quality product.</p>
