I'm sure this analogy is a bit absurd (and I'd love to see it torn apart), but I hope it opens readers to the premise that some highly desirable and important emotional, intellectual and social objects should exist even when there is no market for some of their forms
Edit: I can’t tell if you’re willfully misreading what I wrote or just trying to be cute. At no point did I assert that nothing should be created without a market. But if you’re creating something for other people then those other people are, by definition, your market, and you should pay close attention to signs that they actually want what you’ve created (like a willingness to trade dollars or time or attention).
Hacking doesn't require something to be built for other people.
Oh but those are very different things
An app that people would pay $0 is still more valuable (and might I say, a lot more valuable) than an app that people wouldn't install for free
Assuming you’re talking about building an app for other people, I personally would not, no. The market is sending a clear signal that it values the app at zero dollars. In other words, they don’t want it.
> If not then the problem you are solving is probably not important and a waste of your time anyway.
This is exactly the question that charging money answers: Do people just say they want your app or are they willing to “put their money where their mouth is” and actually buy it?
(Also note that not al things are paid for with money. Some are paid for with time or attention, so adjust for that if necessary.)