What if “customer-first” killed innovation?

Hari Abburi argues that today’s organizations need “ideas-obsessed leaders” who build “ideas-obsessed enterprises.” While the digital era has revolutionized customer experience, it has largely failed employees and stifled innovation. Companies chasing relentless customer centricity—prioritizing “faster, better, cheaper”—have optimized efficiency but lost creativity. The result? Giants like Toys “R” Us, Bed Bath & Beyond, and GE collapsed under their own single-industry thinking. The speaker challenges the assumption that being customer-focused equals being innovative, suggesting that true transformation requires shifting from customer obsession to idea obsession, where innovation—not just satisfaction—drives progress.

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