Tractability = 1/Opportunity

A task could be broken down. And by exploring difficulties it entails, the space becomes more valuable as the competition reduces. Tractable tasks are easier. But that also means there is more competition. Paul Graham argues this to be a major factor behind the success of companies like Stripe.

Not all important work is intractable. But it is the intersection of intractability and importance that stymies us. Paying deliberate attention to that overlap matters, because we’re more likely to neglect it.