Think like a Disrupter | Jon Hirschtick | TEDxBabsonCollege
The speaker, an expert in CAD software with 35 years of experience, advises that effective disruption stems from understanding human needs, remaining curious about seemingly irrelevant technologies, and committing to rigorous execution, exemplified by the shift from the proprietary SolidWorks system to the cloud-based Onshape.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Professional who has worked in the CAD software market for 35 years.
- Speaker's achievements: Started three CAD software companies, including SolidWorks (started in 1993) and Onshape.
- Setting/Occasion: Speaking at an event themed around "disruption."
- Speaker's structure: Organization of discussion around three aspects of disruption thinking: identification, needs, and execution.
## Theses & Positions
- The central thesis: Great disruption solves needs or problems that fundamentally originate from people, not just technology.
- Thought process for disruptors: Must adopt a "radar scanning system of emotions and reactions of people."
- The role of need identification: Users often cannot articulate their problems, sometimes preferring to "just live with the problems they have."
- Source of disruption: Often a combination of an unaddressed problem and a technology that later becomes relevant.
- Idea generation approach: Must be curious about learning about things that "don't seem to matter" to the current problem.
- The danger of bad ideas: Good ideas and bad ideas are not polar opposites; they "live in the same neighborhood" far from mediocrity.
- Vision vs. reality: "Visions and hallucinations look the same until you try to build them."
- Execution necessity: Shifting into "execution gear" is a challenging, distinct phase that is often where most people fail.
- Winning principle: "If you don't try you won't win."
## Concepts & Definitions
- **CAD software:** Computer-aided design software.
- **Disruptor/Disruption:** The process of fundamentally changing a market or industry.
- **Needs/Problems:** Issues that must always come from people.
- **Perspective view:** The ability gained with age to see broader historical trends in technology adoption.
- **Metastable states:** Conceptualization of success and failure, suggesting they are close neighbors to each other.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Process for disruption thinking:** A three-part focus on Identification (needs), Needs (people-centric observation), and Execution (building).
- **Identifying needs:** Requires observing user workflows to identify pain points, even when users don't complain.
- **Idea generation:** Involves curiosity about seemingly irrelevant technologies (e.g., learning about internet speed for Onshape).
- **The development cycle:** Requires starting with a prototype and moving forward without waiting for complete funding or perfect resources.
- **Execution:** Involves the "perseverance to get through it," described as a normal "rollercoaster ride."
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Pre-1993:** Speaker worked on Windows-based PCs at an older CAD company.
- **1993:** Started SolidWorks, aiming to disrupt the market.
- **Last 20 years (at SolidWorks):** Period observing the market maturity, noting issues with distributed teams (license codes, service packs).
- **Post-SolidWorks:** Left to start Onshape, leveraging cloud, web, and mobile technologies.
## Named Entities
- **John:** The speaker.
- **Ben Horowitz:** Author of a book discussing entrepreneurial struggles.
- **Marc Andreessen:** Partner of Ben Horowitz.
## Numbers & Data
- Duration of CAD focus: **35 years**.
- Age of speaker starting in CAD: **Teenager**.
- SolidWorks start year: **1993**.
- Market duration observed at SolidWorks: **20 years**.
- Success metrics for SolidWorks: **millions of users**, **billions of dollars in revenue and value**.
- Specific user observation detail: Complex tasks required **21 steps** using old software.
## Examples & Cases
- **Father's Advice:** "John no matter what you do in life you must learn to deal with people and think about people."
- **SolidWorks Pain Point (20 years later):** Difficulty sharing data across globally distributed teams due to issues with license codes, installs, service packs, and upgrades.
- **Uber:** Example showing how mobile phones and GPS did not matter to the taxi industry until they did.
- **Internet Search Engine:** Example showing how it did not matter to the newspaper business until it did.
- **Google:** Redefined the entire ad market, disrupting ad-based publishing models.
- **MySpace vs. Facebook:** Comparison showing a technological shift in social networking.
- **Rio vs. iPod:** Example illustrating a product evolution in portable music.
- **Craft Fair Observation:** Suggesting observing artisans for process and tools rather than just technology.
- **Apple (Steve Jobs):** Mentioned for building "great products" like Apple's famous products and the unreleased "Next computer."
- **Speaker's first company:** Not a failure, but not a huge success; did not disrupt the world.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **CAD software:** The core market.
- **SolidWorks:** CAD software product started in 1993.
- **Onshape:** New CAD software built on cloud, web, and mobile technology.
- **Windows PCs:** Technology that proved crucial for CAD.
- **UNIX workstations:** Workstations used historically by CAD professionals.
- **Mobile phones:** Technology key to modern service industries (e.g., taxi apps).
- **GPS:** Technology key to modern service industries (e.g., taxi apps).
- **Internet search engine:** Technology that later became vital to the newspaper business.
- **HTML/JavaScript:** Technologies experimented with during Onshape development.
- **Rio:** MP3 player that existed before the iPod.
- **Facebook:** Modern social network model.
- **iPod:** Device representing a market shift in personal media.
## References Cited
- Ben Horowitz's book.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Old CAD System:** Centralized model requiring local installations, vulnerable to distributed work challenges.
- **New Paradigm:** Cloud, web, and mobile technology addressing the limitations of the old centralized model.
- **Early tech focus:** Focusing on the next major PC platform (Windows) versus sticking to existing architecture (UNIX).
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Users often do not recognize their own underlying problems; they tend to accept the status quo.
- Initial resistance: People suggesting that new technologies "don't matter in our market."
- Speaker's warning: The difficulty in separating true vision from mere illusion ("I think visions and hallucinations look the same until you try to build them").
- Skepticism regarding effort: Not having initial funding but still choosing to begin building the prototype.
## Methodology
- **Observation:** Systematically observing users' workflow (e.g., watching users use old software, visiting artisans at craft fairs).
- **Technological Experimentation:** Actively experimenting with nascent technologies (HTML, JavaScript, internet speed) even if not immediately applicable.
- **Iterative building:** Committing to building and moving forward despite perceived resource or funding limitations.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Try to execute on one's own potential disruptions.
- Do not wait for perfect conditions, funding, or explicit permission.
- Be prepared for the long, normal struggle that follows the initial idea phase.
- **Core Guarantee:** "If you don't try you won't win."
## Implications & Consequences
- Failure to address underlying problems means people will remain resigned to the status quo.
- The necessary persistence in execution is often at odds with the pure creativity of the ideation phase.
- The lesson is one of *action*: the mere existence of an idea is insufficient for market change.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"John no matter what you do in life you must learn to deal with people and think about people."*
- *"The problems that we solve are always people problems."*
- *"a radar scanning system of emotions and reactions of people."*
- *"Sometimes they won't complain they'll just live with the problems they have."*
- *"I think visions and hallucinations look the same until you try to build them."*
- *"The vision was obvious I think if we me and my co-founders get credit it's because we decided to do something about it."*
- *"If you don't try you won't win."*