Value innovation is the backbone of the aspirational economy. When the economy based on manufacturing moved to producing culture, design, luxury, art and experiences, value innovation focused on taste, aesthetics, identity and one’s social standing
Focus too much on utility (get too big), and you kill the signal. Focus too much on signal itself without bolting on utility, then it becomes like Harvard — people know it has no purpose other than the signal and that itself weakens the signal. It becomes a bubble.
For example, since TikTok leans heavily on an algorithm to determine views for a video, your absolute follower count is less valuable than it might be on another platform where the follow graph is a stronger input to your success. On TikTok you’re only as good as your next video whereas on another platform your aggregate follower count might serve... See more