Hacker News Reader

"He contends the entrepreneurs behind Club Penguin (sold to Disney) or Mint (sold to Intuit)"

I can't speak for Mint, but Scott Cook (who founded Intuit) was definitely winging it:

http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail523.html#

Yes, I didn't say all entrepreneurs have a clear idea of what they want to do, how they will do it, and how it's likely to come out -- many clearly don't. However, that's not always the case. I believe Club Penguin, a site that clearly targeted a demographic of youth, and Mint which targeted personal finance, are examples of companies set up from day one with a clear idea of what they were trying to accomplish.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com