This reminds me of the discussion on the definition of &quot;Object Oriented&quot;.  It&#x27;s a term of art that means a specific thing in the context of programming.  [1]<p>&quot;Minimum Viable Product&quot; is also a term of art to describe a specific concept and can&#x27;t really be broken down word by word.  If you look at Eric Ries, Steve Blank, and Frank Robinson they have a specific meaning for MVP that matches The Macro article.<p>See for example [2] where Reis says &quot;It is not necessarily the smallest product imaginable, though; it is simply the fastest way to start learning how to build a sustainable business with the minimum amount of effort.&quot;<p>[1] See this hilarious interchange <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;c2.com&#x2F;cgi&#x2F;wiki?HeInventedTheTerm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;c2.com&#x2F;cgi&#x2F;wiki?HeInventedTheTerm</a>
[2] The previously mentioned <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;techcrunch.com&#x2F;2011&#x2F;10&#x2F;19&#x2F;dropbox-minimal-viable-product&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;techcrunch.com&#x2F;2011&#x2F;10&#x2F;19&#x2F;dropbox-minimal-viable-prod...</a>