It is not typography. It is not colors. It is not your graphic design blowing up on Twitter.

It is who you are. And it is how your users feel at every point of interaction. Your landing page. Using your product. Reading your Twitter.

Take prediction markets. Should a prediction market feel like a game or should it feel like a Bloomberg terminal?

Depends.

If you see prediction markets as a comprehensive venue where all assets get traded but for now you see it as an extension of your core like Robinhood does, then it will be just an extension of your existing product and brand.

If you see prediction markets not as a financial primitive but as a real money gaming product where people come to speculate and have fun, then it can look like a game.

You can go as crazy as making the interface look like Persona 5.

Yes, it will turn some people off but you will be unmistakably you. N of 1.

But if you want to be seen as the source of truth and people are going to take policy decisions based on your odds, and your cards are going to be attached as widgets on publications like Wall Street Journal, then making a Persona 5 vibes widget (that is an extension of your product) might not reflect well.

It is all the small decisions. 
It is not “thinking”, but “frolicking” in Claude Code.

Claude wasting a ton of space on homepage to say “Welcome back, night owl” when it probably does not affect their product metrics.

Cursor running their pop up cafes to attract their fans.

The same thinking applies to people too.

Everything you post online. Every interaction you have offline. Is a reflection of who you are. It is not what you wear. It is not how well you speak.

It is how you make the other person feel.

Do I post salty takes sometimes? Yes. Can I not post those? Sure. But then I won’t be me. And life is too short to be not yourself.

“Be yourself” could actually be destroying your optionality.

Cluely had a strong consumer brand, love it or hate it, everyone knew what it stood for. But you can’t be Cluely and then suddenly try to become an enterprise B2B company.

The same applies to Marc Benioff, who faced backlash when he attempted to change his political stance. Or Sam Altman, who was criticised for asking Elon’s partner if he should post something nice about Elon. In today’s world, people spot hypocrisy quickly.

And here’s another question to consider:

Does what I believe to be my authentic self-expression truly serve the business objective, or does it simply satisfy my personal preference and ego?

Maybe it can be both. By being unabashedly me, I can play long term games with long term people. It reduces my optionality. 
But I don’t need to be another grin fucker :)