I think that's all true -- there are core algorithmic issues in both reddit and eBay that are interesting and for which there is a lot of room for improvement.

I think that's all true -- there are core algorithmic issues in both reddit and eBay that are interesting and for which there is a lot of room for improvement. But at least to me, the problem with most of the work being done on webapps is that very little of the time is spent on these kinds of problems -- the vast majority focuses on moving data back and forth from the database, adjusting the UI, working around browser bugs, and similar grunt work. IMHO, anyway.