The 7 Deadly Sins Framework for Startup and Product Building

There's a contrarian idea in startup building that I keep coming back to: some of the biggest, most enduring companies have been built by tapping into human vices, not virtues. It sounds provocative, maybe even unethical at first glance, but when you unpack it, it’s about aligning with human nature, not fighting it. If you understand core emotional drivers, you can build companies that scale almost instinctively.

If you've never seen the movie Seven (1995) with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, now might be a good time to fix that. It's a disturbing but brilliant dive into the psychology of sin - and it makes you realize how deeply these seven concepts are wired into us. Highly recommended.

The 7 deadly sins - Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride - are not just religious concepts. They're reflections of timeless human behavior. And if you look closely, you'll notice that some of the most successful businesses have built their core offering around satisfying one or more of these drives.

Lust - Desire as a Market

Think Tinder, OnlyFans, even Instagram to an extent. Lust isn’t always about sex - it’s about desire, allure, and fantasy. These platforms enable expression, attraction, and validation. They sell possibility. And possibility is intoxicating.

In my experience, founders who are honest about this dynamic and design with responsibility often outperform those who try to sugarcoat what they're actually building. The ones who understand user psychology - the longing for attention, the dopamine rush of a like - are the ones who build stickier, more viral products.

Gluttony - Indulgence at Scale

Think about how frictionless it’s become to overconsume - food, content, even experiences. Food delivery apps like DoorDash, streaming platforms like Netflix, and mobile games are all built around enabling indulgence. The gluttony isn’t in the product - it’s in the behavior it enables.

DoorDash didn’t just make logistics better - it gave you an excuse to never cook again. Netflix didn’t just bring you movies - it gave you the power to binge. These aren’t just services, they’re comfort on tap.

Greed - The Wealth Engine

Robinhood, Coinbase, Shopify. Greed, when refined, becomes ambition. Products that appeal to greed sell opportunity - the idea that wealth, independence, and status are within reach if you just make the right trade, click, or purchase.

LinkedIn fits this pattern too. Reid Hoffman has said he designed it with self-interest in mind - people want to get ahead, connect upward, and find better opportunities.

But I've seen too many founders forget that greed can backfire if the incentives turn toxic. You need to offer value, not just the illusion of gain. It's a fine line between enabling and exploiting.

Sloth - Removing Effort

We’ve engineered convenience so efficiently, people now get frustrated if something takes more than two taps. Products like Amazon Prime, Google Search, and Uber thrive not because they offer something radically new, but because they make life easier - even if marginally.

Sloth isn’t laziness. It’s a deep desire to optimize energy and avoid friction. The best product builders understand that the path of least resistance is also the path to the highest engagement.

Wrath - Channeling Outrage

Platforms like Twitter and Reddit have created spaces where people can express raw emotion, often anger or outrage. These aren’t bugs - they’re features. Wrath generates energy. That energy fuels engagement.

But as someone who has seen some of these platforms evolve, I’ve learned that giving people a microphone without a filter can turn communities toxic. Wrath is a double-edged sword - powerful but unpredictable.

Envy - Aspiration Wrapped in Comparison

Instagram. LinkedIn. Even luxury e-commerce. Envy is about what others have that we want. These platforms don’t just showcase products or achievements - they showcase lifestyle. And lifestyle is contagious.

I've seen envy used well in product design. Make something beautiful, exclusive, or hard to access - and people will climb over each other to get in. Done right, envy becomes aspiration. Done wrong, it turns toxic.

Pride - Identity and Status

Apple, Tesla, even Substack. These are brands that allow users to feel a certain way about themselves. Pride is about recognition, status, and belonging. It’s a powerful driver of loyalty and behavior.

When your product becomes part of someone’s identity - when using it says something about who they are - you’ve entered rarefied air. That’s not just adoption. That’s evangelism.

So what do you do with this?

Instead of starting with a market or a technology, try starting with a sin. Ask yourself: which of these deep, emotional levers am I pulling? Build around that. Test your thesis not just with user interviews but with visceral reactions. People may lie about what they want, but they rarely lie with their time and money.

Understanding sin isn't about exploiting people. It's about aligning with reality. The goal isn't to trick users - it's to tap into what they already care about.

And if you can do that - responsibly, sustainably, and with good execution - you might just build something unstoppable.