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In every context I've heard or said myself that ideas are worthless, it has always been about money. You build the product for some equity and I bring the idea

In every context I've heard or said myself that ideas are worthless, it has always been about money. You build the product for some equity and I bring the idea - no, ideas are worthless. I'll sell the idea - no, ideas are worthless. I can't tell you what I'm building without an NDA because you'll steal my idea - no, ideas are worthless. The context of "ideas are worthless" has never, in my experience, been that of personal projects, learning projects or other things you do for fun. In these cases ideas obviously aren't worthless.

loceng 13y ago
Many, if not the majority, of people do believe ideas are worthless because they've not put the time or effort required into refining ideas to a nuanced level. Once you hear an idea, and it sounds simple and good - then hey, simple idea, anyone could come up with that - they'll very often seem obvious too. Anyhow. What's actually more important relating to ideas is if you've discovered a market that has needs to be met, and there's an opening and opportunity to meet those needs. It's very possible ConnectU would have been the platform we'd all be using - or a variation if they decided to later update the name - instead of Facebook, if Mark Zuckerberg hadn't been dishonest with them for the purpose of launching first.
- jules 13y ago
  Software is just ideas that are refined in full detail. Nobody would claim that the value in software is because of physically typing in code; the value is in the ideas that preceded the typing. So to claim that ideas are worthless without qualification is indeed ludicrous. What people usually mean when they say this is that abstract, unrefined ideas are worthless.
  - loceng 13y ago
    I'm not so sure this would hold if you applied it to real-life circumstances. I could be telling you an "end point" idea - which only would have come from all of the refinement, even if the idea itself encompasses a large scope. Not trying to start an argument, I just don't think most people who say "ideas are worthless" have really thought through this statement..
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
lewispollard 13y ago
Yes, the context I've heard this phrase the most is in Craigslist posts, for example, where someone's had the idea for the 'next facebook' and wants a developer to build it for him. It's not so much that the idea itself is worthless (though it very well might be) - it's just that in terms of value, the person who has the idea is probably going to contribute nothing to the implementation of the idea, which is the part that takes solid hard work, planning and maintenance. It's not so much that the idea is worthless - it's that a person whose only role in the implementation is to come up with the idea in the first place is worthless to the process of implementation.
- danieltillett 13y ago
  This is generally true, but the implementer(s) may think that the idea originator will have more good ideas in the future - they may decide to cut the idea originator in just to get access to their future ideas.
  - dkersten 13y ago
    The future ideas are just as worthless than the first.
- allendoerfer 13y ago
  This is exactly the point. Often the person with the idea additionaly greatly underestimates the complexity and time it tooks to actually build the product.

loceng 13y ago

Many, if not the majority, of people do believe ideas are worthless because they've not put the time or effort required into refining ideas to a nuanced level. Once you hear an idea, and it sounds simple and good - then hey, simple idea, anyone could come up with that - they'll very often seem obvious too. Anyhow. What's actually more important relating to ideas is if you've discovered a market that has needs to be met, and there's an opening and opportunity to meet those needs. It's very possible ConnectU would have been the platform we'd all be using - or a variation if they decided to later update the name - instead of Facebook, if Mark Zuckerberg hadn't been dishonest with them for the purpose of launching first.

jules 13y ago
Software is just ideas that are refined in full detail. Nobody would claim that the value in software is because of physically typing in code; the value is in the ideas that preceded the typing. So to claim that ideas are worthless without qualification is indeed ludicrous. What people usually mean when they say this is that abstract, unrefined ideas are worthless.
- loceng 13y ago
  I'm not so sure this would hold if you applied it to real-life circumstances. I could be telling you an "end point" idea - which only would have come from all of the refinement, even if the idea itself encompasses a large scope. Not trying to start an argument, I just don't think most people who say "ideas are worthless" have really thought through this statement..
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

lewispollard 13y ago

Yes, the context I've heard this phrase the most is in Craigslist posts, for example, where someone's had the idea for the 'next facebook' and wants a developer to build it for him. It's not so much that the idea itself is worthless (though it very well might be) - it's just that in terms of value, the person who has the idea is probably going to contribute nothing to the implementation of the idea, which is the part that takes solid hard work, planning and maintenance. It's not so much that the idea is worthless - it's that a person whose only role in the implementation is to come up with the idea in the first place is worthless to the process of implementation.

danieltillett 13y ago
This is generally true, but the implementer(s) may think that the idea originator will have more good ideas in the future - they may decide to cut the idea originator in just to get access to their future ideas.
- dkersten 13y ago
  The future ideas are just as worthless than the first.
allendoerfer 13y ago
This is exactly the point. Often the person with the idea additionaly greatly underestimates the complexity and time it tooks to actually build the product.