Sure, Facebook was technically simple for something that would turn into a Billion dollar business. You can certainly argue that the valuable intellectual property of Facebook wasn't in the actual lines of code. I don't think even the author would try to refute that statement.
But what the author is trying to say is that Facebook WAS actually built. It wasn't just something someone would talk or think about, and that's a crucial step.
Take it from a business co-founder; that's a step a lot of people who read HackerNews can dismiss as time behind a screen, but if someone doesn't have the ability to build something it could become an insurmountable obstacle. Someone who has all of the skill sets necessary to build a business is very rare, as different personality types and years of experience lend themselves more to certain skills at the expense of others (it's a huge struggle for me to learn to program, although we're getting there).
So the point of the author was, "Making connections, selling things, understanding a vision, that's great... but somehow, some way, you still have to build it."
But what the author is trying to say is that Facebook WAS actually built. It wasn't just something someone would talk or think about, and that's a crucial step.
Take it from a business co-founder; that's a step a lot of people who read HackerNews can dismiss as time behind a screen, but if someone doesn't have the ability to build something it could become an insurmountable obstacle. Someone who has all of the skill sets necessary to build a business is very rare, as different personality types and years of experience lend themselves more to certain skills at the expense of others (it's a huge struggle for me to learn to program, although we're getting there).
So the point of the author was, "Making connections, selling things, understanding a vision, that's great... but somehow, some way, you still have to build it."