Tried building side products by asking what people would actually pay for and use.
Crowded market.
Another nutrition app, quit-X app, photo generator, vaguely useful, but nothing that felt truly alive.
Then I tried building for myself.
More fun, but still mostly things I could solve directly with Claude, Codex, or chat.
Hackathons have been different.
Fresh stacks, clear framing, real incentives, strong feedback loops, smart people, and just enough distribution to make the work matter.
Feels like I’m getting closer to a framework for what’s actually worth building.
3 ”solo” hackathons in the making, and slowly getting somewhat a portfolio I feel frankly proud of.