Waze Let a Tiny Group Build the Map

Let the first users create the asset

Jacob Jolibois and I covered Waze in a February 28, 2023 First 1000 issue. The case is useful because the product had to recruit people to create the asset that made navigation possible.

Waze had a problem that software alone could not solve. A navigation app needs a map, but in 2006 the useful map data was expensive and controlled by a small number of companies. Before Waze could route anyone, someone had to create the roads, intersections, speed limits, and other details.

The company’s answer was unusual: start with a blank map and recruit a small group of people who wanted to fill it in.

Waze began in Israel with a simple goal: get people from point A to point B. A road needed GPS data, names, intersections, lane details, stop signs, traffic lights, and speed limits before it was useful to a driver.

The earliest mapping enthusiasts opened the app to a blank canvas. Their location icon became a road roller while they drove. Later, they used a desktop editor to name roads, adjust geometry, and connect intersections.

That is a strange first-time experience for a navigation app. It worked because the first users were not ordinary consumers waiting for a finished map. They were motivated contributors who enjoyed building the thing that future users would need.

If your product depends on a hard-to-create asset, ask whether a small group of users can help make it. The answer is not always yes. But if it is, the first release may need to expose the work instead of hiding the unfinished state.

Build a ladder for different kinds of users

The three-level participation pattern is simple. The first 1 percent were mapping super-nerds who helped create the map. The next 9 percent were enthusiasts who would tolerate a buggy product if they could contribute and earn points or virtual goods. The remaining 90 percent could arrive after the product was useful enough to navigate with.

The percentages are a framework here, not a measured Waze funnel. The product decision is still useful: do not ask every user to make the same sacrifice.

Your earliest creators may want ownership or mastery. The next group may need recognition, points, badges, or a visible path to status. Most people may only want the finished utility. A contribution system should give each group a reason to participate at its level.

Waze used gamification for the middle group because intrinsic motivation was not enough. The map experts wanted to pave roads. The broader set of enthusiasts needed a little more acknowledgment to keep doing work that benefited everyone.

Make an unfinished product feel social

Waze needed more than a base map. It needed traffic patterns, route speeds, and reports about accidents, police, hazards, gas prices, and road closures. Those signals became more useful as more people drove the same roads.

Waze sometimes showed reports from the nearest ten users even when they were far away. That was not geographically precise, but it made drivers feel that other people were in the system with them. The emotional connection mattered while the network was still sparse.

That is a provocative product choice. Utility usually says “show only what is relevant.” Community products sometimes need to show enough evidence that the community exists. The tradeoff is real: irrelevant reports can annoy people, but a silent product can feel dead.

Waze eventually benefited from major moments such as Los Angeles’s 2011 “Carmageddon” closure. After Apple Maps launched in 2012 and drew criticism, Waze’s user count rose 40 percent to 50 million. Google acquired Waze in 2013 for a reported $1.1–$1.3 billion. These are historical figures, not current company metrics.

The founder decision

If your product needs users to create value for other users, I would ask:

1. What asset is missing before the product can work? Name the map, catalog, dataset, or community that must exist.
2. Who are the first 1 percent? Give them a way to build the asset and feel ownership.
3. What does the next 9 percent get? Recognition, status, rewards, or a smaller contribution that still matters.
4. What will the 90 percent feel when they arrive? Utility is necessary, but a sense of other people can make an early network feel alive.

Sources and original research

• Original First 1000 case: 🚗 Waze, February 28, 2023

The Waze First 1000 issue includes Jacob’s product deep dive. Its historical mapping, participation framework, reporting examples, and acquisition figures supply the evidence above; the contribution ladder is my adaptation.