Working on interesting problems entails working on something that has most of its value locked in the future.
Less interesting problems (jobs) means that the value has been unlocked and you are getting the maximum bang for your work.
Most up and coming businesses have their value locked in the future. For example a company like Uber or AirBnB will be most profitable somewhere in the next couple of decades.
Generally speaking, most are too concerned about extracting as much value as possible today, rather than working on interesting, up and coming technologies / innovations for better returns tomorrow.
Keeb's Blog 