“OK, but there are two rules…”
I appreciate the message, but am I the only one for whom the "fail fast" mantra is becoming grating?  It seems like it was originally a good idea: if your startup is dead, let it die. Don't cling to a failed idea. Now, however, it's almost used instead of a plan, or as an excuse not to carefully consider your options. It seems as if it appeals to our innate laziness: "Take a shot.  If you miss, oh well, better luck next time." There's no hunkering down, no in-the-heat-of-the-crucible, just give up and try something else.  It feels like a truism packaged for the Twitter generation.