Paul Graham's 2023 essay gives founders a four-step problem-selection framework
Paul Graham wrote the July 2023 essay as a guide for ambitious work in any field. Its four-step framework still gives founders a useful test for choosing and exploring problems.
By Ryan Merket · Published
Primary source: Paul Graham
Why it matters
Graham's essay was written for ambitious work in any field, not as an account of YC's founder-selection doctrine. Founders can still apply its four-step framework to choosing problems, learning through early products and deciding which overlooked gaps deserve sustained work.
Paul Graham published "How to Do Great Work" in July 2023 as an attempt to identify the habits shared by people producing important work across different fields. Framed as a guide for someone working in any field, its practical core is a four-step process: choose a field, reach its frontier, find the gaps and explore the promising ones. For founders, that framework offers a way to think about choosing problems and testing whether sustained interest can support a company.…
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