[SparksZilla]

I don't identify with your problem, but I totally believe that it's a problem. I was at Disrupt and saw a lot of really cool companies solving real problems. That said, I also saw a lot of sexy apps and sites that really aren't addressing problems at all. They do cool things, look nice, and work well, but they really aren't addressing problems. Thoughts?

[bpatrianakos]

The startup gods have proclaimed that you must solve a problem and now everyone seems to be taking it as an absolute truth. The startup gods are wrong.

Listen, solving a problem is what we need more of in this world. It's hard, its rewarding, and the idea of it is sexy though the problem itself may not be. That said, solving some problem is not the only way to succeed or be relevant. Some things can be cool and sexy and total non-needs and still be a huge hit. Some things that are just fun and entertainment are not just successful but important in our lives! Yes, important! Like Zynga. I fucking hate them but they make freaking games and they're doing damn well (their downward spiral is irrelevant and unrelated to my point). How about the cheeseburger network (you know, Lolcats, I can has cheeseburger and all that?). Useless, entertaining, non-problem-solving ideas that are big hits.

I honestly say fuck solving problems. You know whats really important when it comes to starting a startup no matter if it solves a problem or not? It's this question:

Can I get people to give me money for this?

If the answer is yes then it's a good idea. Solving problems is awesome and if you think of something that solves a problem that you'll get money from that's even more awesome. But all this talk of solving problems seems more about people trying to make themselves feel superior or trick themselves into thinking they're changing the world rather than anything having to do with business.

[randomrant]

Brilliant. You said it all.

Gaming is a huge industry. Tell me what problems this whole industry solves, vitamin or painkiller? I would argue that it is a huge waste for the society. Same goes with alcohol. Do they acutally "create" more problems?

The truth is that people want to spend money to buy vitamins and many useless things. If you provide them and people buy, you have a business.

The notion of a startup having to solve a problem and the argument of vitamin or painkiller are stupid and amateur.

For OP, indeed, you are trying to solve a problem. But you create a new problem for me - I have to remember to go to your site to learn whatever I want to know, on top of many things I do everyday - cnn, wsj, techcrunch, gmail, YC news, facebook, twitter. I already get more information than what I can digest. I cannot remember to go to your site and will not have incentive to do it. Until you provide something unique that I need, I won't visit your site again. (I visited yesterday.)