What's the most important problem in your world?

There is a very nice essay (well, actually, it's a talk) by Richard Hamming titled "You and your research". In it he describes how he used to ask his colleagues at Bell Labs a few very annoying questions:

1. "What are the important problems of your field?"
2. "What important problems are you working on?'"
3. "If what you are doing is not important, and if you don't think it is going to lead to something important, why are you at Bell Labs working on it?"

So, let's rephrase that.

What are the most important problems of your world?

I guess, there is no need to start listing them here. Yet, when the CEO of Kiva says their main competition is Zynga, perhaps there is something wrong?

Are the intended benefits of free market being sabotaged by businesses only willing to fulfill our wants and not solve global problems? Or do we simply get the businesses we deserve?