Steve Blank Blind to Disruption – The CEOs Who Missed the Future
a day ago
- Out of 4,000 carriage and wagon manufacturers in early 1900s, only Studebaker successfully pivoted to automobiles.
- Early cars were dismissed as inferior, but disruption occurred gradually then suddenly, wiping out the industry.
- Survivors like Studebaker, Fisher Body, and Durant-Dort (GM) were driven by visionary founders, not hired CEOs.
- Key reasons for failure: technological discontinuity, capital requirements, business model inertia, and cultural identity.
- Lessons for today: CEOs prioritize quarterly earnings over long-term reinvention, risking obsolescence from AI disruption.