Should SendBird prioritize adding more advanced chat features to its API or focus on improving the scalability of its existing infrastructure?

Introduction

The trade-off question at hand is whether SendBird should prioritize adding more advanced chat features to its API or focus on improving the scalability of its existing infrastructure. This scenario involves balancing product innovation with technical stability for a communication platform. I'll analyze this trade-off by examining the business context, user impact, technical considerations, and strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: I'm thinking about SendBird's current market position. Could you share how we're performing against our main competitors in terms of feature set and scalability?

Why it matters: Helps understand if we're playing catch-up or leading in certain areas. Expected answer: We're competitive in features but lagging in scalability. Impact: Would lean towards improving scalability if we're already feature-rich.

• Business Context: Based on our revenue model, I assume API calls or active users are key drivers. Is this correct, and how does our pricing structure relate to advanced features versus basic usage?

Why it matters: Aligns decision with revenue generation. Expected answer: Tiered pricing based on features and usage. Impact: Could influence whether to focus on advanced features for upselling or scalability for broader adoption.

• User Impact: I'm curious about our user segments. Are we seeing more demand for advanced features from enterprise clients or scalability issues from high-growth startups?

Why it matters: Identifies which user group might be prioritized. Expected answer: Mix of both, with scalability becoming a growing concern. Impact: Might suggest a phased approach addressing both needs.

• Technical: Regarding our current infrastructure, what's our biggest scalability bottleneck? Is it related to message throughput, concurrent connections, or data storage?

Why it matters: Pinpoints specific technical challenges. Expected answer: Concurrent connections are the main issue. Impact: Would focus scalability efforts on connection management if confirmed.

• Resource: Can you give me an idea of our engineering team's capacity? Are we staffed more heavily on feature development or infrastructure?

Why it matters: Assesses feasibility of different approaches. Expected answer: Balanced team, but infrastructure experts are in high demand. Impact: Might influence decision based on available expertise and hiring needs.