Ask HN: Have you ever skipped filing a patent due to cost or uncertainty?

I’m trying to understand how founders, builders, and researchers think about early-stage IP decisions.

Have you ever reached a point where you chose not to file a patent — either because of the cost, the long timelines, unclear patentability, or just because it didn’t feel justified at that stage?

I’m curious how people have approached this tradeoff in practice and what factors mattered most.