While the “Lean Startup” methodology is a smart and widely applicable way of building a company, it’s good to remember there are exceptions to every rule. In this article, Marc Andreesen talks about some of those exceptions.

Not all startups can be Lean Startups

Andreessen noted that as popular as the theory can be, there are still some areas where it can’t really apply.

“I would serve this as a challenge for the Lean Startup community. Especially the ones with the really audacious goals. Sometimes they start audacious because otherwise the product will never get to market. The Macintosh, that product had to exist in its entirety for people to wrap their heads around it,” he said, pointing to modern entrepreneurs like Elon Musk’s ventures as ones that can’t be done on a small scale at first. “You got to get the rocket into space.”