I think network effects should be viewed as a tool for growth, but not a requirement for early adoption. As long as you are doing something in a new, better wa

I think network effects should be viewed as a tool for growth, but not a requirement for early adoption. As long as you are doing something in a new, better way for some number of people, you will have early evangelists who love it. Then network effects will help you grow quickly and become valuable to a wider population. I think Airbnb is a good example: they had to fight hard for their early users, but the product had enough inherent value that network effects served only as a value multiplier.