At Dogfood.ing, we go inside the companies that live by a simple but powerful mantra: "Eat your own dog food." We uncover how innovative brands like Strava, WHOOP, and WhatsApp use their own technology every day to drive innovation, accelerate product development, and build the future. This is where theory meets practice.
Companies that commit to dogfooding don't just talk about quality; they live it. This internal-first approach gives them a distinct competitive edge:
Dive into our real-world case studies to see how this practice transforms industries:
Zwift isn't just a platform for cyclists and runners; it's a world built and refined by its own passionate employee 'Watopians.' By actively using and testing their virtual training grounds, workouts, and social features, the Zwift team ensures the platform evolves authentically, driven by the very experiences they aim to deliver to millions globally.
WHOOP isn't just a wearable for athletes and health-conscious individuals; it's a deeply ingrained part of the company's own culture and product development. By having its employees, from founder Will Ahmed to engineers and data scientists, live with and rigorously test the WHOOP strap and platform, the company continuously refines its cutting-edge physiological monitoring and personalized coaching.
WhatsApp's journey to becoming a global communication giant has been profoundly influenced by its own team using the app daily. From its foundational principles of simplicity and privacy to the development of new features, the practice of 'eating your own dogfood' at WhatsApp (and now Meta) plays a crucial role in refining the platform for its billions of users.
Wahoo Fitness doesn't just create innovative hardware and software for cyclists and endurance athletes; its own team of 'Wahooligans,' driven by a passion for performance, are the first and most critical users. This deep internal immersion in their own ecosystem—from KICKR trainers to ELEMNT computers and the Wahoo X platform—is fundamental to how they build better athletes, starting with themselves.
Supersapiens isn't just selling a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for athletes; its team, rooted in athletic experience and led by a founder with decades of personal CGM use, actively lives with the technology. This deep internal usage is fundamental to refining their product, ensuring it meets the real-world demands of endurance athletes seeking to optimize their performance.
Strava isn't just a platform for athletes; it's largely built and refined by them. The company's deeply ingrained culture of employees actively using their own product fuels innovation, shapes features, and ensures that the user experience resonates authentically with its global community.
Explore how companies use their own products and technology to improve their offerings
Replit isn't just providing a revolutionary online IDE and collaborative coding platform; its own teams are deeply immersed in using it daily. From building internal tools to leveraging Replit AI for their own development, this 'Replit on Replit' approach is fundamental to how they innovate, refine their product, and empower millions of creators worldwide.
Rent the Runway didn't just disrupt fashion; it built a complex technological and logistical marvel to power its 'Closet in the Cloud.' Its own operational, data, and engineering teams are the primary, intensive users of these proprietary systems, constantly refining the engine that makes fashion rental at scale a reality.
Rakuten isn't just a collection of diverse businesses; it's a living laboratory where its own technologies, especially in AI and cloud-native telecom, are rigorously used and refined by its employees. This 'Rakuten on Rakuten' approach, from internal AI assistants to building a mobile network from scratch, is fundamental to its innovation and its offerings to the world.
The Premier League doesn't just showcase world-class football; it's a high-stakes proving ground for cutting-edge technology. From VAR and data analytics to its global broadcast and digital platforms, the League's own operational teams are critical first users, driving innovation and reliability in the systems that deliver the spectacle to millions.
Sony Interactive Entertainment doesn't just build PlayStation for the world; its own teams, from chip designers to elite game developers at PlayStation Studios, are the first and most demanding users. This deep internal usage and feedback loop is critical in forging the cutting-edge hardware, intuitive software, and compelling experiences that define each PlayStation generation.
The PGA TOUR isn't just a premier golf organization; it's a sophisticated technological operation. By being the first and most demanding user of its own complex data, scoring, and broadcast systems, often co-developed with leading tech partners, the TOUR constantly refines the technologies that deliver world-class golf to a global audience.