Transforming to Survive

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It’s unfortunate that the two most famous quotes that damn market research are attributed to two of history’s most innovative entrepreneurs. “Some people say, ‘give the customers what they want’, but that’s not my approach, ” said Steve Jobs. “Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do… People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research.” 

Henry Ford – whom Jobs referenced in his quote – also famously said that, if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. 

But Apple does perform market research and Ford – to the best of our knowledge – never actually said anything about the public’s taste for faster horses. Indeed, his quote doesn’t exist in print until 2002; even The Henry Ford museum can’t locate the source. And Ford – who innovated with the Model T and then froze the design ...