Reid Hoffman on how human nature should factor into the products you build

When asked for an insight that most people don’t think about, LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman responded:

“I think one of the things that’s actually really important for inventing products is a fairly deep theory of human nature and humanity… you should be able to articulate a relatively robust theory about ‘what is human nature?’, ‘what is humanity like now?’, ‘where is it going?’, and ‘how does your product or service fit into that?’”

He continues:

“Most people I talk to can’t articulate a robust theory of human nature. And that’s one of the reasons why I started saying that I invest in one or more of the seven deadly sins. I was trying to get people to think about common human psychology. If you’re trying to create a mass-market consumer application, what are the parts of what it is to be human that you’re actually triggering, responding to, surveying, etc.?”

In a separate Wall Street Journal interview, he gives examples: “Facebook is ego. Zynga is sloth. LinkedIn is greed.”

Nikita Bier (founder of Gas and the TBH app) echos a similar sentiment in a thread on building consumer apps:

“People download apps to solve core human needs (1) finding love, (2) making or saving money, and (3) play. People rarely take time out of their day for anything else.”

Full video: Y Combinator “Reid Hoffman at Startup School SV 2016” (Oct 2016)