Clayton Christensen

Biography

American business theorist (1952-2020), professor at Harvard Business School, father of disruptive innovation theory.

School of Thought

Innovation Theory

Notable Quotes

On Creative Destruction in AI Era

"Disruptive technology should be framed as a marketing challenge, not a technological one."

—Clayton Christensen, The Innovator's Dilemma (1997), p. 17, Harvard Business Review Press

On Creative Destruction in AI Era

"The reason why it is so difficult for existing firms to capitalize on disruptive innovations is that their processes and their business model that make them good at the existing business actually make them bad at competing for the disruption."

—Clayton Christensen, The Innovator's Solution (2003), p. 34, Harvard Business Review Press

On Network Effects and Platform Monopolies

"Companies succeed when they address jobs to be done, not just customer demographics."

—Clayton Christensen, Competing Against Luck (2016), p. 28, HarperBusiness

Additional Notable Quotes

On Human Capital in Age of AI

"Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven't asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go."

—Clayton Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life? (2012), p. 195, Harper Business

On Network Effects and Platform Monopolies

"Focus on the job, not the customer."

—Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business Review (2016), September 2016, "Know Your Customers' Jobs to Be Done"

On Intangible Assets and Valuation

"Capital is abundant. What's scarce is the knowledge of how to deploy it effectively."

—Clayton Christensen, The Prosperity Paradox (2019), p. 89, Harper Business