What it actually means
We do not use our own product. We're going to start. Briefly.
Surface meaning: To use your own product or service internally.
If someone just said “Eat Your Own Dog Food” in a meeting, here is what they probably meant, what to do about it, and how to keep your sanity.
In the wild
PM: We need to dogfood this.
(Dogfooding lasts 8 days, ends quietly.)
How to respond
Make dogfooding a tracked metric: who uses it, how often, what bugs are filed. Without metrics, dogfooding is performance.
Origin
Microsoft, mid-1980s. Paul Maritz emailed someone 'eating our own dog food' and the phrase escaped.
FAQ
What does "Eat Your Own Dog Food" actually mean?
We do not use our own product. We're going to start. Briefly.
Where did the phrase "Eat Your Own Dog Food" come from?
Microsoft, mid-1980s. Paul Maritz emailed someone 'eating our own dog food' and the phrase escaped.
How should I respond when someone says "Eat Your Own Dog Food"?
Make dogfooding a tracked metric: who uses it, how often, what bugs are filed. Without metrics, dogfooding is performance.
Related corporate vocabulary
This was, of course, a meeting that should have been an email.
Run the fake meeting simulator. Generate a bingo card. Be busy without being there.
Open the simulator →