Video · 48 min

Clayton Christensen: Disruptive Innovation (Saïd Business School lecture)

Clayton Christensen · YouTube (University of Oxford, Saïd Business School) Free Intermediate

Christensen teaching his own theory is worth more than any summary of it. He walks through why incumbents keep making the profit maximizing choice that dooms them, in plain language with stories. Watch it when you want the reasoning, not just the conclusion, so you can spot the pattern in your own market.

• Incumbents flee upmarket toward higher margins, leaving the bottom open.
• Customers hire products to do a job, which is where new entrants get in.
• The threat looks harmless right up until it is unstoppable.