TEST_phase3 launch readiness

We're here to make a binary call: launch TEST_phase3 now, delay, or stage it. I need every function to surface their hardest blocker — not their wish list. We move fast only when we move smart. Let's pressure-test this thing.

Infrastructure stress tests hit 87% of target load before degrading — that's not a green light, that's a yellow one. We have two unresolved P1 bugs in the auth flow and no rollback playbook finalized. I will not sign off on a full launch without a tested rollback under 15 minutes.

Beta cohort NPS is at 42 — acceptable, not exceptional. The top friction point is onboarding step 3, which 31% of users drop at. Launching at scale with that dropout rate means we're acquiring users we'll immediately lose. I want a 2-week fix cycle before broad release or we're burning CAC.

The launch window is NOW — competitor X just shipped a comparable feature and our PR cycle is primed. A 2-week delay costs us first-mover narrative and we've already committed influencer placements for this week. Soft-launch to 20% of users, capture the press moment, and iterate in public.

A 20% soft-launch still triggers full infrastructure costs and support overhead. If CPO's 31% dropout holds at scale, our payback period on CAC extends from 4.2 to 6.8 months — that's a cash flow problem. I need a revised unit economics model before approving launch spend.

Support team is not staffed for a phase3 volume spike — we're at 78% ticket capacity right now. A soft-launch to 20% with current bug count will flood L1 support and degrade response SLAs. We need a 5-day ops readiness sprint: runbooks, escalation paths, and one additional support hire activated.

Phase3 introduces new data collection fields that may trigger GDPR Article 13 disclosure obligations and CCPA updated privacy notice requirements — neither has been reviewed post-feature-change. Launching without updated disclosures is a material compliance risk. This is a hard blocker until counsel signs off.

I've seen three companies blow post-Series-A momentum by launching buggy v1s to capture a news cycle — the reputational debt took 18 months to clear. The window isn't closing in 2 weeks; the brand damage from a bad launch lasts longer. Fix the auth P1s and the onboarding drop, then go loud.

Investor and CPO are assuming worst-case. Our beta cohort is self-selected skeptics — general market NPS will track higher. I'm not saying ignore the bugs, I'm saying segment the 20% launch to power users who have higher tolerance. We can ring-fence the risk while capturing the moment.

CMO's 'power user' segmentation doesn't isolate the auth P1 — it affects all sessions regardless of user tier. Shipping a known P1 to any segment is irresponsible and sets a precedent I'm not willing to establish with the engineering team.

CMO's soft-launch framing doesn't reduce our regulatory exposure — any user in the EU or California triggers full compliance obligations. Partial rollout is not a compliance shield.