This is a great example of a product decision that looks irrational on a spreadsheet but makes perfect sense when you understand why users showed up in the first place.

A lot of founders treat accounts as an obvious upgrade because they unlock analytics, retention, and monetization. But sometimes the absence of friction is the feature. Once users have to create an account, you're not just adding functionality you're changing the product experience and, potentially, the audience.

The part that stood out to me is that you solved the actual problem (session persistence) instead of implementing the assumed solution (user accounts). That's a useful product lesson: validate the pain point before adding the complexity that usually comes with fixing it.

Sometimes the best feature is the one you decide not to build.