Yeah I used to think so too. Now I just think it's a thing people like to say to emphasize how difficult and important execution is. But execution mattering doesn't mean ideas are easy.
Ideas are really, really hard. Good ideas are the result of an extraordinary feat of luck, an extraordinary feat of outworking everyone around you to get very deep domain expertise, or a combination of both.
I’m so glad so many more people are disagreeing with the truism “ideas are cheap”. Everytime people say that, I have to roll my eyes. Like really? execution is hard but easier as its operating within known boundaries and restrictions.
Ideas are really, really hard. Good ideas are the result of an extraordinary feat of luck, an extraordinary feat of outworking everyone around you to get very deep domain expertise, or a combination of both.