Live data from Hacker News

Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

youtube.com

41–50 of 121 posts

Re: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

#44

Haven't watched the whole thing yet, but I will push back on some of the popular mythology that everyone thought successful startups we're just toys or would fail in their early days. IMO that's mostly bullshit. Amazon, Google, Uber, Facebook (despite some cherry picked article from the video about it never being able to hit profitability) were all hugely popular right off the bat, and indeed, many people saw them as…

> e.g. there were other video sites before YouTube, but you didn't really have enough broadband adoption until the late 00s the make it viable

Also YouTube was founded by Jim Clark’s son in law.

Re: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All this hoo haa about startup ideas - Just make products that excel at every aspect of what it does and make sure there is a demand for such a product. I see people making a better soap dispenser, the hardware equivalent of what most SaaS startups are working on. You need to invent a new kind of soap that is better than anything else out there. It should take the grime off of everything from kitchen to bathroom scum…

Just because there is demand for something does not mean it is a viable business idea. There is tons of demand for food yet the margins selling food are tiny and it is very competitive. There is tons of demand for listening to music online, yet it was never profitable until Spotify came along. There is huge demand for watching videos online yet YouTube ran at a loss forever. Everyone thinks that their product is grea…

OP probably meant demand is a requirement, not a guarantee, to ensure your product will be successful.

Re: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

#48

Ideas are rarely the problem. It's the execution and commitment.

I'd argue that the execution is the idea. Otherwise you are left with, with these 'ideas' is a quick summary of a product that could exist with no mention of the market, how to market it, who to market it to initially and eventually, how to build it, when to build it, strategy, raising money (or not) etc. etc.

Re: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.indiehackers.com/products

99% of those examples are either fake or grossly overstated

Really? Haven't really looked into indiehackers, but are you implying that it's mostly a platform for attracting investors through fake growth stories like in the good old crypto days with fantastical IPO's?

Re: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas [video]

#50

This is my first time hearing from Garry Tan, and I just want to say that his voice is incredible. It reminds me of Chris Voss' "late night FM DJ voice" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJjnkxvbxaI ) Could anyone recommend some exercises to practice that kind of voice?

Oh man thanks! I don't do anything particularly special. I do have a dynamic mic (Electrovoice RE20) with a good compressor (dbx 286s) and that does give a good "radio effect."
Post reply on HN