It is often said that “ideas are worthless”. Here is a counterclaim to that assertion.

The claim casually states that “one should not share their own ideas with others,” which seems to be a reasonable approach in the field of research. This is because researchers have the ability to bring ideas to fruition. In the startup world, it is commonly treated as common sense that “ideas are worthless, so it’s okay to talk about them.” However, I think that is a trap set by someone [link] [@yamaz, June 1, 2021].

Ignoring the common sense that “you should carefully choose who to consult,” is the only problem. People who can come up with their own ideas are too busy realizing their own ideas to have the intention of taking someone else’s ideas. If you share your ideas with someone who is unable to come up with their own and is hungry for ideas, of course, they will take them [link] [@nishio, June 1, 2021].

The statement loses the context of “ideas without implementation power are economically worthless (so it is difficult to sell them at a high price as standalone ideas)” or “ideas that are not (intellectual property) protected are legally worthless (so they can be stolen without consequences)” [link] [@nishio, June 1, 2021].