Bible

Oct 08

Build software that changes people’s lives - for the better, not for the worse

Bible, Start-up, Religion, Business, Ethical, Ideas No Comments »

Call me an idealist. Call me crazy. But I think technology is supposed to be used to change people’s lives for the better. I believe a good technology improves my life as a human being. Take the telephone for example. Imagine instead sending and receiving letters back and forth across the ocean. Of course every technology can be used for unethical purposes as well but what I am interested in this particular article is the initial motivation for building technology. Most particularly in the software industry.

So I went to the professionals. The ones who “did it” before. The successful ones. I read an article about a series of lectures given by established entrepreneurs in the software business, to young aspiring software entrepreneurs, all arranged by the now famous Y Combinator start-up school. I found

this article which pretty much sums up the whole thing.

After reading carefully, I found some advice on motivation. I came across this piece of advice from Max Levchin, the co-founder of PayPal:

As a final word of product development advice, Levchin encouraged founders to think about the Bible’s seven deadly sins - especially greed, sloth, envy, pride and gluttony. These characteristics, he said, describe many of the primal motivations for users.

Hmmm… Stop right here for a moment. Mr. Levchin, I was looking more for something along the lines of “what sort of technology can we build to improve people’s lives”, not “people are destroying their lives anyway, so let’s build technology that helps them do it better”. That’s ridiculous and sad, but it’s real. And what’s even more sad, it’s that it looks like this advice, was received like some sort of super secret from the masters by the young aspiring entrepreneurs.In view of this, I truly wonder what else they teach at Y Combinator.

Here’s a business idea for you:

Create a start-up school that actually teaches young techies how to use their brain power to help people conquer those deadly sins. What kind of technology can you build that helps be less greedy? What website can I join whereby I become less envious? Here’s some challenging business ideas young entrepreneurs of the 21st century. Go and think and make the right career choice. Don’t be fooled by the foolishness of quick money which you see very well where it gets you. Just look around at young rich kids who make more in a year than you and me would make in 100. Look at Hollywood. Look at rock stars. Are they happy? Are they really enjoying life?

Money should not be everything. When it becomes everything for you, you will lose in life. You will bawl your eyes for the things you missed because all you saw is the bottom line.

Dan Calinescu

Build software that changes people’s lives - for the better, not for the worse

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