In 2014, TSM Amazing, a League of Legends pro player, did an AMA before a match against Cloud9.
Someone asked him:
Do you fear Lee Sin getting banned away from you every single game? Or do you feel confident on other top-tier junglers?
His answer was basically:
No, I do not fear it. I can perform equally well on Eve / Elise / Kha'Zix.
So what did Cloud9 do?
They banned Evelynn, Kha'Zix, and Elise.
Then they first-picked Lee Sin.
Cloud9 won the game 13-5.
Funny? Yes.
Also a pretty good reminder that sometimes your public answers are not just content. They are information.
Sharing is good. Timing still matters.
I like building in public.
I like when people share what they are working on, what they are learning, what they are struggling with, and how they think.
But there is a difference between sharing useful context and giving away the whole roadmap before it matters.
Before a launch, a negotiation, an interview, a competition, or a public release, the timing of what you share matters.
Not because everything has to be secret.
But because other people can act on your information faster than you expect.
The internet remembers weird things
I think about this story whenever I am about to hit post on something before it is ready to be public.
Not every draft needs to be shared. Not every plan needs an audience before it lands.
The internet does not forget small moments. It just files them away until someone finds them useful.
Sometimes that someone is a fan.
Sometimes it is the opponent.