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> I don't think you can simply identify a problem and solve it, without the personal passion.

Sam Altman indicates this is true in his first lecture at Stanford's startup course.

Oh I think you absolutely can. In 2002-3 I worked at a PR firm in DC and identified a shortcoming we were experiencing regarding broadcast TV monitoring. I quit my job, built a distributed TV ingestion system + SaaS interface and signed 75 customers to paying subscriptions over the course of a few years.

Did I have any "passion" for broadcast monitoring? Absolutely not. I merely had a passion for starting a successful business.

Interesting contrast to PG's earlier convention of "the idea doesn't matter as much as the founders because the idea can/will change".

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