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An issue with just focusing on problems is that sometimes it’s not clear what the problem is.

Say you create a fun little app that a hundred people download, that you just had a good time making.

What problem did it solve for them? Boredom? Did it solve the same problem for everyone?

That being said, I like the article, and I like the idea of focusing on problems more than solutions, to define a career.

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An issue with not focusing on on the problem is that your work will likely join the ~90% of near-useless products. There is a lot of joy to be found in the development process itself, I'm not dissing making obscure things that you think are fun; I do that all the time. It's just sometimes sad to see people pouring their sole into products no one ever actually wanted.

And yes, that app helped fix their boredom.

Look into jobs theory if you're interested in this stuff

I think programmers need to start taking a lot more responsibility for what we release into the world.

If you don't think your software solves a real problem, or will improve people's quality of life, then why release it?

There are already too many distractions in the modern world. I don't want to create more. Any software you release that doesn't solve a real problem is just another distraction that takes time away from people's lives.

To decorate CV.

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