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Comment by pedalpete | Hacker News Reader

Though I agree with the general statements made by the author, on a tangent, I disagree with the 'solve a problem' advice which is constantly being touted.

I look at some of the largest start-ups or even companies, and they aren't solving problems so much as creating opportunities.

AirBnB didn't really solve a problem, they created an opportunity for you to rent your extra space, or find a place other than a hotel to stay.

This also applies to larger companies. Coca-cola didn't solve a problem, they just made something people really liked.

Apple and Microsoft didn't solve a problem people had. They didn't have computers, so what what problem could you have been solving by giving people an operating system. At the time, people didn't know what they would use a computer for, so what problem was being solved.

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Here are a few of the problems people had that Apple and Microsoft solved:

1) Maintaining a general ledger for your business (and all the calculations) by hand & on paper was tedious and labor intensive. VisiCalc was the first "killer app" that made loads of people want to buy an Apple. Apple provided the platform to make VisiCalc possible. On the PC side, the driver was Lotus 123, then MS Excel.

2) Using a typewriter was annoying, especially when you need to fix a mistake. (e.g. Liquid Paper, Wite-out). On the PC side, there was WordPerfect, then MS Word.

You can't create opportunities for people without solving a problem first.

Airbnb offered affordable rentals compared to hotels, it solved a problem/need. This created an opportunity for other's

Uber made hailing a car much easier (solving a problem), creating an opportunity for other's

I don't see how tackling this in reserve works. How can you create an opportunity (let says for truck drivers) without solving a problem somewhere?

Actually, the problems that enabled Airbnb to generate early traction & validation were even bigger and more serious than that...

- People unable to find accommodation - at any price - during major events (2008 DNC, SXSW)

- Property owners (particularly in NYC) struggling to make mortgage payments during the GFC.

Seems to me like all of these companies solved problems - they were just problems that not many people knew they had.

Airbnb - I only use my place 90% of the year, but I pay for using it 100% of the year. Coke - Water doesn't taste very good. Apple/MS - secretaries are expensive. Can they be automated?

I think it's the other way around. Airbnb had to be solving a problem on the demand side for a supply to arise.

Similarly, Apple/MS must have found an early market of professionals to sell to that need excel, calculators, whatever - solving a problem for them.

You don't start by automating out secretaries. You start by solving a problem for an existing set of people.

If it's solving problem that you don't know you have, I would consider it more creating opportunity.

Aging is a major problem everyone has, but few people think of it in those terms.

Generally when people talk about 'creating opportunity's' they just mean solving problems that people don't think of as problems.

In that context Google's quest to 'organize the worlds information' is really just solving the gap between what humanity knows and what you know. EX: Someone knows where the closest ATM is, but you have no idea. Someone knows what error code 237b means and what to do next, but you don't.

> AirBnB didn't really solve a problem, they created an opportunity for you to rent your extra space, or find a place other than a hotel to stay.

I guess it can be argued that AirBnB didn't solve a problem but they definitely created a better experience for me. When I traveled to Paris and Amsterdam last year, I actually felt like I was experiencing the country as someone who lives there when I would walk home to an actual apartment every night instead of a hotel room where everyone is experiencing the same bland room. It didn't hit me until my very first night but it was a nice realization.

I think you are making my point for me. It wasn't a problem that you had, but they created a better experience, or the opportunity for a better experience.

In regards to AirBnB not solving a problem...I remember before AirBnB when I traveled to NYC and looked for apartments to rent for a weekend or a whole week. It was kind of scary because I didn't know if the people were legit or would come by and try to kick me out. AirBnB provided confidence that you were actually getting what you wanted--an apartment as opposed to a hotel.

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