The other side of this coin which makes me uneasy is: if HN is the only place that get traction for certain projects, what does that say about the value proposi

The other side of this coin which makes me uneasy is: if HN is the only place that get traction for certain projects, what does that say about the value proposition of the project? In other words, is what we have here a self-validating pyramid? Do non-HN people actually have a need for new software that isn't already supplied by the big 4?