If you're already medium-size team, I would completely disagree - code quality (at least maintainable code and documentation) matters, no matter where in the process you are.
For small teams, the math is pretty simple. But for teams of maybe as little as a 3-5 people (or some remote workers) and depending on the size and complexity of the project, the math isn't as simple as you laid out - it isn't just a matter of how you invest your time, there's also a matter of efficiency and stability.
That is, if the code is messy, improperly type-hinted or poorly documented, the chance of errors goes up - too much instability can cost you your early adopters.
Likewise, if the code is unmaintainable and you constantly need to refactor, you may not be able to respond to change quickly enough, and your users might walk.
So it isn't just a problem of technical debt that can be paid back later.
Again, if you're a small, tight-knit team - a few people who are completely on the same page day-to-day, getting to market fast may outweigh all those concerns.
I don't think it generalizes to every project or team though.
You're a startup. Presumably small?
Small startups have different priorities.
If you're already medium-size team, I would completely disagree - code quality (at least maintainable code and documentation) matters, no matter where in the process you are.
For small teams, the math is pretty simple. But for teams of maybe as little as a 3-5 people (or some remote workers) and depending on the size and complexity of the project, the math isn't as simple as you laid out - it isn't just a matter of how you invest your time, there's also a matter of efficiency and stability.
That is, if the code is messy, improperly type-hinted or poorly documented, the chance of errors goes up - too much instability can cost you your early adopters.
Likewise, if the code is unmaintainable and you constantly need to refactor, you may not be able to respond to change quickly enough, and your users might walk.
So it isn't just a problem of technical debt that can be paid back later.
Again, if you're a small, tight-knit team - a few people who are completely on the same page day-to-day, getting to market fast may outweigh all those concerns.
I don't think it generalizes to every project or team though.
Yeah, that was sort of the thesis of the post. It all depends on the situation. Definitely doesn't generalize to every project or team.