Well put. I get why they don't get it, but from my perspective it looks like technical gold-plating a lot of the time. I generally aim to amplify the power of the human mind, not eliminate it from the system.
Of course, these algorithms are cool in certain contexts where you never want to think about it again. For example, ad placement for a giant ad network running against a lot of UGC content. They remind me of neural networks like that: the post office doesn't care how the machine recognizes hand-written zip codes, just as long as they do it reliably.
But startups are all about learning, and interface design is where you have direct contact with users. I want to soak in the data. I want to hang out in people's living rooms when they're using my site. A fancy Lazy Button (great phrase) is the last thing I need.
Of course, these algorithms are cool in certain contexts where you never want to think about it again. For example, ad placement for a giant ad network running against a lot of UGC content. They remind me of neural networks like that: the post office doesn't care how the machine recognizes hand-written zip codes, just as long as they do it reliably.
But startups are all about learning, and interface design is where you have direct contact with users. I want to soak in the data. I want to hang out in people's living rooms when they're using my site. A fancy Lazy Button (great phrase) is the last thing I need.