Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
Nerdvana
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2006 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
Some peers of mine have been wondering whether any of the YCombinator startups actually cure pressing user needs. Leonard points out that reddit and infogami are cool, and that two successes out of eight attempts aren't bad, but I still can't reconcile that outcome with the hype.
More than a year ago, Eric Sink wrote "Great Hacker != Great Hire". Graham thinks you want to hire prima donnas, who are fussy and don't want to solve niggling little problems. Or, rather, he thinks these people should start and run companies. But if you can't stand to interface with the real, grubby, world, then how will you know what problems in it need solving?
It's the same problem that leads to engagement (and not sanctions) in trade with China, or agreeing to see relatives with hateful political or religious views at Thanksgiving. Purity loses you more than engagement gains you.
My views are limited by limited information and perceptions, I am but a tiny grain of rice, blah blah blah.
