Big companies have trouble with innovation. Innovation is about bad ideas, or ideas that look like bad ideas. That's the fundamental thing.
Ben HorowitzRead
It turns out that is exactly what product strategy is all about—figuring out the right product is the innovator’s job, not the customer’s job.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Product strategy involves innovators determining what products to create instead of relying on customers to dictate their needs.
In the quote, Ben Horowitz emphasizes the crucial role of innovators in product strategy, stating that it is their responsibility to identify and develop the right products based on insight and vision, rather than waiting for customers to express their desires. This perspective shifts the focus from customer-driven development to innovator-led exploration, suggesting that true innovation requires proactive decision-making and creativity from those in charge.
Themes
Product StrategyInnovationCustomer NeedsBusinessVision
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a presentation about product development strategies.
More from Ben Horowitz
All quotes →As a company gets big, the information that informs decision-making gets massive. Depending upon the prism through which you view the business, your perspective will vary. If two people are in charge, this variance will cause conflict and delay.
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You read these management books that say, 'These are the hard things about running a company.' But those aren't really the hard things. The hard things are when you have to layoff half your company, or you have to fire your best friend. Or you have to figure out a way not to go bankrupt.
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Look - this is the terror of being a founder & CEO. It is all your fault. Every decision, every person you hire, every dumb thing you buy or do - ultimately, you're at the end.
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Nobody knows how to be a CEO. It's something you have to learn. It's a very lonely job.
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As long as people are clear on what they need to do and what's going on, you're very likely to succeed. When nobody is clear, then you're guaranteed to fail.
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