"Can you point to any projects on which you have expended equally little effort with greater reward? Honestly, $25k a year isn't bad for a niche product that ju

"Can you point to any projects on which you have expended equally little effort with greater reward? Honestly, $25k a year isn't bad for a niche product that just became a real business (as opposed to a little project started on a lark) this year. You seem to be criticizing him for failing to achieve a goal he didn't have." $25K is fine for a small project started on a lark. But it's not for a person that is proclaimed as a business deity in the hacker news world (and JoS). "You might say Photoshop existed for years in its creator's head" Photoshop has a huge market and makes millions of dollars a year. Within the first 5 years, It was most likely already clear that the market was there (it should be with any business). Patrick has talent. If I were him, I would have moved into a more profitable market. Especially since, as you say, it doesn't seem to take him any time at all to work on it.