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The Disruptive Voice explores the theories of disruptive innovation across a broad set of industries and circumstances with academics, researchers, and practitioners who have been inspired and taught by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen, the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration and one of the world’s top experts on growth and innovation. 


For more information, email fgi@hbs.edu or visit www.hbs.edu/forum-for-growth-and-innovation 


BSSE = Building and Sustaining a Successful Enterprise, Professor Clayton M. Christensen's signature course at the Harvard Business School and a breeding ground for many of the ideas shared in this podcast.

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  2. 87. The Disruptive Potential of Online Marketplaces: A Conversation with Scott Kominers and Cliff Maxwell

87. The Disruptive Potential of Online Marketplaces: A Conversation with Scott Kominers and Cliff Maxwell

Feb 8, 2022

A few months ago, Professor Scott Kominers and Cliff Maxwell, former Chief of Staff to Clayton Christensen and an HBS alumnus, co-authored an HBR article entitled, What Makes An Online Marketplace Disruptive?  They pointed out that rather than digitize or make existing transactions more efficient, truly disruptive marketplaces create entirely new transactions, engaging non-consumers and/or non-producers.  In this episode, Scott joins Cliff to discuss a number of topics relevant to online marketplace disruption, including sources of market failure; entrepreneurial opportunities for marketplace design; trust as an enabler of market participation; the disruptive potential of platforms enabled by Web3 and blockchain technologies; market design as a tool for addressing inequality; and much more!  They draw on examples such as the experience of buying a used car, Airbnb’s disruptive business model, and the market for high-end art.  This is a must-listen conversation for those curious about marketplace design; what disruption in marketplaces looks like; and how entrepreneurs, investors, and others can spot future marketplace opportunities!