Square’s Cofounder on Discovering — and Defending — Innovations

HBR IdeaCast

• Episode: Square’s Cofounder on Discovering — and Defending — Innovations
• Website: HBR IdeaCast
• Feed URL: http://feeds.harvardbusiness.org/harvardbusiness/ideacast
• Duration: 00:27:36
• Published: 2020-03-17 15:25

Jim McKelvey, entrepreneur and cofounder of Square, says that most companies that think of themselves as innovative are really just copycats. True innovation, he argues, is about fearlessly exploring novel solutions and dramatically expanding markets. Doing so also helps startups defend their innovations against industry giants, as Square did against Amazon. McKelvey is the author of the book “The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time.”