We’ve all been there. Browsing through a sleek new portfolio, a “revolutionary” SaaS landing page, or the 10th ChatGPT-generated startup site of the week. And boom - there it is:

“This product completely transformed our workflow!”
— Sarah Johnson, Product Manager

No disrespect to Sarah Johnson - but at this point, she might be the busiest testimonial-giver in the AI universe.

What’s Going On?

With the rise of AI-generated sites, landing pages, and mock startups, the internet is now flooded with projects that look polished and convincing… until you read the testimonials. They all seem to follow the same pattern:

  • First name + last name (often a placeholder-sounding combo)
  • Generic title (Marketing Lead, VP of Growth, Product Manager)
  • A painfully vague quote praising efficiency, productivity, or “our team’s synergy”

And chances are, no such person exists. Or if they do, they certainly didn’t review that product.

Why Testimonials Used to Matter

Before AI content tools exploded, testimonials were a strong signal of trust. They told potential users:
“Hey, real people used this and liked it. You probably will too.”

They added legitimacy. Social proof. Personality.

But now, every other Figma template, Framer site, or AI SaaS builder inserts three generic avatars and plugs in a set of randomly generated quotes. And it’s starting to backfire.

Are We Seeing a Trust Recession?

The dev community - especially those of us building side projects, indie tools, or launching on Product Hunt - are beginning to question the authenticity of glowing reviews.

When 7 out of 10 projects have a Sarah Johnson raving about the product, we begin to tune it all out. Just like we ignore cookie pop-ups or auto-play YouTube ads. Overexposure leads to desensitization.

We’re in a testimonial inflation era. The value of a review drops when everyone has five of them by default - even before launching.

So, What Should We Do Instead?

Here’s a fresh take: if you’re building something cool, and you don’t yet have real testimonials - just say that.

Yup. Be human. Be real. Say something like:

“This product is fresh out of the oven. No testimonials yet, but I’d love your feedback!”

And when you do get feedback - make it real. Screenshot DMs. Quote actual tweets. Link to Reddit threads or GitHub Issues if someone gave praise. Authenticity over polish.

A genuine comment from a real user is worth far more than a dozen made-up quotes.

Let’s Bring Back Real Voices

AI can generate beautiful UI, pixel-perfect typography, and a fake testimonial that sounds like it came from a sales brochure. But it can’t fake community.

As developers, we thrive on open feedback, real stories, and mutual respect. Testimonials should reflect that - not become another checkbox in a website builder wizard.

So next time you’re tempted to plug in a “Sarah Johnson” or “James from London”, maybe just hold off. Let your work speak first. The voices will follow - real ones.