You see this with internal projects at larger companies too, just with fewer constraints. At big companies, the same impulse leads to empire building and vanity projects. Far too few people ask, “how does this deliver value for the company? How does this serve the mission? How does it benefit the customer?”
In 16 years on HN this is one of the best pieces of startup advice I've seen.
Default should be 10% of time on MVP and landing page, 90% on distribution until you smell PMF.
Fight violently against any suggestion you invest more heavily in product until somebody is in tears about keeping up with demand for your MVP.