Minus One How Asking ‘Why?’ Changes What You Build | Kunal Shah
Jan 8, 2026
Kunal Shah, founder of FreeCharge and CRED, shares his unique insights on human behavior and product design. He highlights the importance of asking 'why?' to foster curiosity and drive innovation. Kunal delves into how cultural factors can stifle creativity and explores the nuances of human motivation in pricing. He discusses the role of aesthetic design in building trust and the clever marketing strategies behind CRED's campaigns. His reflections on the dynamics of startup success and the necessity for relentless learning are both thought-provoking and inspiring.
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Ask 'Why' Relentlessly
- Children retain the 'why' muscle; adults lose it due to insecurity and status concerns.
- Kunal Shah argues asking naive questions compounds knowledge and reveals core motivations for products.
Find Rivers Before Building Dams
- Founders build dams (products) but often fail to find rivers (existing human motivations).
- Rivers exist already; success requires locating motivations people will pay time or money for.
Early Survival Shaped His Drive
- Kunal recounts working from age 14 after his family's businesses failed and moving to a chawl to survive.
- He taught internet classes while studying philosophy to get access to the web and earn money.