A Startup Blind Spot: Carrying a Hammer and Looking Everywhere for Nails
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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above
English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2023-10-26. Translated 2026-10-30 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文
Reading guide
Robin identifies a blind spot common among technical founders: carrying a hammer and looking everywhere for nails. Blockchain startups a few years ago, and AI startups in more recent years, are the clearest examples. Both can be seen as taking a technology and looking everywhere for possible use cases.
Key points
- Taking a technology and looking everywhere for use cases is a common blind spot.
- Examples: blockchain startups and AI startups.
- Start with the problem, rather than the technology.
Full text — English translation
These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.
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