You Can Always Feel It

Andreessen's most quoted passage is about how unambiguous PMF is once you're honest with yourself. You can always feel when product/market fit isn't happening: customers aren't quite getting value, word of mouth isn't spreading, usage isn't growing fast, press reviews are 'blah', the sales cycle takes too long, deals never close.

And you can always feel product/market fit when it is happening: customers are buying the product as fast as you can make it, or usage is growing as fast as you can add servers. Money is piling up. You're hiring sales and support as fast as you can. Reporters are calling.

If you're asking whether you have PMF, you don't. The failure mode isn't missing the signal. It's rationalizing its absence.