Pivot (business)
Etymology
From French "pivot," the fixed pin or point on which something turns. The startup meaning was popularized by Eric Ries in "The Lean Startup" (2011), stressing that you turn on a fixed foot — you change direction without abandoning everything. The image is a basketball player pivoting: one foot planted, the body swinging to a new angle.
noun · /PIV-ut/
A deliberate change in a company’s core strategy or product while keeping its underlying vision or team.
What it names
It reframes a hard turn not as failure but as a disciplined redirection based on what the market taught you.
Example
The gaming app flopped, so they pivoted to sell the chat tool they’d built for it.
Related idea
A pivot changes the strategy while keeping the mission; simply quitting abandons both. The word can also flatter aimless flailing — a genuine pivot is grounded in evidence, not just a fresh idea each week.
noun / verb · /PIV-ut/
A central point on which something turns or balances; or to turn on such a point.
What it names
the hinge of a rotating motion, as in dance or basketball.
Example
The dancer pivoted smoothly on one foot.
Related idea
The literal turning point behind the business sense — akin to the fulcrum a lever turns on.