THINKDROP 4: Rewriting the Script
- Pierre Stanghellini
- May 5
- 3 min read
Updated: May 6
Where strategy meets sparks of rebellion.
Lately, I’ve been drawn to ideas that don’t fit the mold. The contrarian instincts. The business models that make no sense—until they do.
The founders who aren’t chasing scale but forging something stranger and more meaningful.
This issue is about rewriting the script—not for rebellion’s sake, but to find the edge that conformity can’t reach.
Let’s get into it.
Pierre Stanghellini.
HARi.wtf founder.
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🚫1. Stop Building Products. Start Creating Movements.
The future isn’t product-led—it’s belief-led.
Patagonia isn’t just outerwear. It’s activism.Notion isn’t just a note-taking app. It’s identity.
The most magnetic companies aren’t selling tools—they’re selling belief systems. Build something people want to identify with, not just use.
Try this:
Ask not what your company makes.
Ask what story your customers are proud to tell by using it.
Further Reading:
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🧬 2. The Rise of “Weird Tech”
Forget MVP. Make something strange enough to be memorable.
AI girlfriends. Apps that text you like your dead grandmother. Virtual therapy that feels like a video game.
These aren’t gimmicks—they’re specificity engines.
In an oversaturated world, weird wins.
“Boring never scales. Weird finds its people.”
Key idea:Mass appeal is overrated. Strange is a feature, not a flaw.
Further Reading:
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🎭 3. The New Status Symbol: Anonymity
In a world of personal brands, privacy is power.
Everyone’s building in public. Posting, performing, optimizing.But a quiet shift is happening: anonymous founders, stealth communities, and digital black boxes that are invitation only.
Anonymity = freedom to build without performance.
Consider this:
What would you create if no one knew it was you?
Further Reading:
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🛠️ 4. Rethink “Founder” Energy
From lone genius to creative conductor.
The myth of the solo genius is fading. The best founders today are like Brian Eno in the studio—creating environments where others do their best work.
They curate. They improvise. They don’t dictate creativity—they design for it.
Try this:
Host a “creative lab” with your team. No agenda. No slides. Just whiteboards and real questions.
Further Reading:
🌀 Food for Thought
“What if the edge you’re chasing isn’t ahead of you—but sideways?”
We often assume the path forward is linear.
But breakthroughs often live diagonally—across disciplines, industries, or perspectives.
Sometimes the most strategic move is a lateral one.
Go sideways.
→ Let’s connect at www.hari.wtf or drop me a line directly at pierre@hari.wtf .
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About the Creator
Pierre Stanghellini is a creative strategist, systems thinker, and curator of mental rabbit holes. He created Thinkdrop Weekly to feed the brains that don’t want the same old startup advice. If you’re building something bold, beautiful, or strange—this is your corner of the internet.
Connect on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/pierrestanghellini
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About HARi.wtf
HARi.wtf is a creative strategy studio for businesses that hate business-as-usual.
Born in Hong Kong in 2017, we work with restless founders, operators, and teams who’d rather break things thoughtfully than grow them blandly. We don’t do generic decks or bloated strategies—we build clarity, guts, and traction.
From street-level restaurants to global brands, from Asia to Europe, we help shape ideas that move fast when it matters, and slow when it counts.
→ Explore more at hari.wtf
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