---
title: "On principle"
description: "Making decisions on principle rather than circumstance (also called being data-driven) is something you never hear about. It seems that we forgot that this is an option."
author: "Ghaith Ayadi"
site: "Verbatim"
collection: "Hokum"
url: "https://verbatim.ayadighaith.com/hokum/on-principle"
date: 2023-10-30
updated: 2026-09-16
---
# On principle

Making decisions on principle rather than circumstance (also called being data-driven) is something you never hear about. It seems that we forgot that this is an option.

Behold this ludicrous cancellation policy from

[YOTEL](https://www.linkedin.com/company/yotel/)

. They could have hired 3 MBA-wielding moronistas to figure out the optimal cancellation policy. But they chose to do something uncanny. They acted on principle.

The ladies and gentlemen of Yotel understand that their mission is to provide sensible accommodation to people who want it. They understand that weaponizing important parts of the experience is, thus, wrong. So they did the right thing regardless of the consequences. They appreciate that the marginal difference isn't worth it, but doing the right thing is.

In Tunisia, we say: "If the plate doesn't get you full, licking it won't help"

By doing the right thing, Yotel turned me and perhaps many other self-respecting adults into loyal patrons, till the end of time. Unfortunately, this fact can't penetrate the tiny brain of the A/B testing moron.

My first experience at a Yotel a few years ago was such that the moment I saw that we had one in Porto, I knew that it was going to be my choice the next time I needed a stay. I didn't even go to

[Booking.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/booking.com/)

like the sensible person does. I became the noise in your

[Mixpanel](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mixpanel-inc-/)

data. I became the person who seemingly pops out of nowhere, for no reason. Except there was a reason. But it's experiential, so it doesn't show up on a dashboard.

Numbers have a divine quality to them because they are akin to facts. But unlike what you're told, numbers don't talk. Just like holy scripture, most of what we understand is what we wish to understand.

At the base of our over-interpretation of numbers lies one of man's deepest fears: the fear of not knowing. We over-rely on numbers not because of their epistemic value, but because of the psychological comfort they bring. Numbers sooth. They make tomorrow less scary. But unfortunately, they don't always make our decisions better. It just seems like it.

When we're comfortable with the helpless feeling of not knowing, then we are free to see the flagrant flaws in our shortsighted data-driven culture. We can see why we're often stuck in those decisionless loops. What we lack is not more data and analysis. We lack robust anchors, detached from our circumstances. Those are called: Principles.

The wise have their numbers on a leech. Data is not their master. They do what they think is right, not what they think will do better in a sub-ethical marketplace.

Principles don't make you more likely to succeed. But what all the elders tried to teach us is that they don't make you less likely either. It just seems that way to the faithless. "Oh, ye of little faith.", they say.

There's no doubt that Yotel is gonna go out of business because of this moronic policy. But that's OK. Most businesses die anyway. At least they did it right while they lived. Respect 🎩.

![BlockNote image](https://butbut7wellsz5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/2026/mplq2zz3-on-principle-img1.jpg)