15. Is Uber disruptive?

Nothing like using a trick question to rile up five theory experts who have strong opinions about Uber, the latest Silicon Valley company to have its name verb-ified to describe most any entrepreneurial venture in the on-demand economy. In this episode, we revisit Professor Clayton M. Christensen’s December 2015 article in Harvard Business Review, “What Is Disruptive Innovation,” with article co-author Rory McDonald, as well as four long-time collaborators with Professor Christensen: Innosight Managing Partner Scott D. Anthony, Christensen Institute co-founder Michael B. Horn, and Forum Senior Researchers Tom Bartman and Efosa Ojomo. While this panel of theory experts share a strict set of guidelines to define what is and isn’t disruptive, their application of the theory to Uber varies quite widely. And yet — their outlook for the future varies much less than you might think.