Jon Yongfook's 2026 indie hacker playbook: build the 83% cheaper competitor

Jon Yongfook summed up the 2026 indie hacker playbook in four steps: complain on X that an entrenched SaaS product is too expensive, collect the likes, call it validation, then build a competitor that's 83% cheaper. To be fair, he adds, it's a pretty decent playbook. It's satire with a real point. In this round the zombies aren't only customers building for themselves. They're founders turning the complaints into cut-price rivals. Every price hike now comes with free market research for whoever wants to undercut you.