Powerful innovations often focus on creating new paradigms, not solving problems of the current context

The XEROX Alto wasn’t trying to solve the problems of existing offices: it attempted to create a completely new context, which would have its own benefits and challenges. Likewise, one can’t invent the iPhone by trying to solve the problems of the Motorola ROKR: it’s a new thing, more an act of invention than of reaction or iteration.

Expanding from technology, one can apply this observation to certain political systems (democracy), economic systems (crypto), spiritual systems (Dzogchen), etc.

References

Victor, B. (2019, December 12). Presentation at Stripe Convergence.