The rapid growth of AI products isn't due to a sudden market desire for AI technology itself. Rather, AI enables superior solutions for long-standing customer problems that were previously addressed with inadequate options. The demand existed long before the AI-powered supply arrived to meet it.

Successful startups tap into organic customer needs that already exist—a 'pull' from the market. In contrast, 'conjuring demand' involves a founder trying to convince a market of a new worldview without prior evidence. This is a much harder and less reliable path to building a business.

A slightly better UI or a faster experience is not enough to unseat an entrenched competitor. The new product's value must be so overwhelmingly superior that it makes the significant cost and effort of switching an obvious, undeniable decision for the customer from the very first demo.

Some of the largest markets address needs customers have completely given up on because no viable solution existed. This powerful latent demand is invisible if you only observe current activities. You must uncover the high-priority goals on their mental "to-do list" that they have quit trying to achieve.

This reframes the fundamental goal of a startup away from a supply-side focus (building) to a demand-side focus (discovery). The market's unmet need is the force that pulls a company and its product into existence, not the other way around.

Pull isn't just a problem; it's a state of active struggle. Think of it as physics: the customer is applying force toward a project, but their existing options are applying a counter-force. Your product's role is to unblock this potential energy, which is often invisible until a viable new solution is presented.

Market dynamics are not static. What was once a 'wave'—a new, urgent problem for everyone—can evolve into a series of 'dams' and eventually a stable 'river.' A common mistake is to build for the hype of a wave after it has crested, by which point it no longer provides the same opportunity for explosive growth.

Founders often over-index on early user complaints. However, if a product addresses a powerful, unmet demand, users will endure significant flaws. The existence of strong market "pull" is a more important signal than initial product imperfections. The market will effectively fund the product's improvement.