Paul Graham - Copper and Tin:

"The hard part about figuring out what customers want is figuring out that you need to figure it out. But that's something you can learn quickly. [...]

And compared to the sort of problems hackers are used to solving, giving customers what they want is easy. Anyone who can write an optimizing compiler can design a UI that doesn't confuse users, once they choose to focus on that problem. [...]

A hacker who has learned what to make, and not just how to make, is extraordinarily powerful. And not just at making money: look what a small group of volunteers has achieved with Firefox."