Ask HN: If you were to start a new company in Jan 2020 what would it be?
My pick would be:
- Social Media Platform for local ecosystems : Most people have gotten off FB; Insta, Snap don't fulfill all utilities of Facebook; opportunity to enter
- Airpods app stack : More than a third of US has Airpods plugged in most of their waking day; can reimagine music listening, social, search
- Cloud OS : Stadia made a lot of noise, US households have enough bandwidth; infinite memory and process can allow reimagining native apps for a desktop. Maybe even mobile.
> Most people have gotten off FB
Uh citation needed? Just because your average HN commenter hates Zuck/FB and thinks targeted ads are the spawn of the devil doesn’t mean it’s hemorrhaging users.
> More than a third of US has Airpods plugged in most of their waking day
Where are you getting this data. If I were to hazard a guess you’re in college and you’re thinking your dorm life == the world. AirPods Pro sales have been high and Apple’s doubling down on their production but you CAN’T develop apps for them. Not sure how it’s even a startup idea.
> Most people have gotten off FB
Here's some data from the beginning of 2019: https://www.marketplace.org/2019/03/06/exclusive-look-number...
Behaviorally, none of my friends claim to be using FB regularly anymore, posts from friends have reduced, engagement - likes and comments on posts have reduced tremendously.
Which is expected of negative network effects.
> More than a third of US has Airpods plugged in most of their waking day
Quick Google Search shows 15, 35 and 65mn pieces sold in 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively.
You literally stated "most people have gotten off of FB." Your citation shows it shrinking by < 10% for gen z and millennials, stagnating for gen x, and increasing for boomers. It's similar in my circle of friends but you can't discount the billions that still do use FB daily worldwide.
You stated more than a third of the US has Airpods plugged in most of their waking days. And again, I say this as a guy who owns a pair and sees them in the workplace all the time. < 50% of my team has them.
But 1. they don't wear them all the time. I'd wager < 3 hours per person. Mostly during commute and gym. 2. I'd say wireless headphone usage is increasing in general, I don't see why you have to exclude non Airpod users? 3. Most importantly, you can't build apps on a platform that doesn't support apps!
Local service business. Probably an upholstery shop. Something high-skilled, long-lasting, with proven demand, and low global competition.
A farm that focused on community supported agriculture, education, and utilized permaculture design principles.
It depends on what are your goals?