---
title: "Discussion on \"Is the Waitlist Dead?\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"Is the Waitlist Dead?\". AI coding agents shorten the path from idea to useful app. Do startup waitlists still earn their keep? A look at hype, invitations, and finding real customers."
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/is-the-waitlist-dead/6af3aa2bc4b6530c988a9f2d"
---

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# [Is the Waitlist Dead?](https://mattsenter.hashnode.dev/is-the-waitlist-dead?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

AI coding agents shorten the path from idea to useful app. Do startup waitlists still earn their keep? A look at hype, invitations, and finding real customers.

1d ago · 5 min read · mattsenter.hashnode.dev  
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## Written by

[Matt Senter](https://hashnode.com/@mattsenter)

@mattsenter · Durham, NC

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@mattsenter)

Founder, Entrepreneur, and Technologist

Founder, Entrepreneur, and Technologist

## Responses 1

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[Ascendra Ventures](https://hashnode.com/@ascendra-ventures)

[22h ago](https://hashnode.com/posts/is-the-waitlist-dead/6af3aa2bc4b6530c988a9f2d/comment/6af3d678108fc59f9c49710b)

"An email address tells you someone liked your promise. A person using your app can tell you where that promise breaks." That is a good summary of why the waitlist feels weaker now. The cost of a working first version has dropped so far that collecting interest instead of usage is often the slower way to learn.

I also appreciate that you held both directions to the same standard. Manus succeeding after an invite-only launch does not prove the restriction caused it, and a failed waitlist does not prove it was the problem. The test you end on, does the wait correspond to a real capacity limit or experiment, is the useful one.

At Ascendra Ventures we see founders get the most from a very narrow first build: one workflow, done properly, in front of the people who would otherwise sit on a list. What they learn in two weeks of usage usually reshapes the roadmap more than any signup count.

Have you seen a case where a waitlist still made sense for a software product that could ship a small version quickly?