This story on Nokia’s demise gets at the real issue behind why so many companies fail to innovate. They listen to users. It’s the one mistake Apple didn’t make. Nokia did, as told by its lead designer:

“That is a pain point for me, because by far they didn’t invent the touch screen phone, we had applications, we had internet phones, we had all that functionality . . . but all of our user testing pointed to the fact that no-one wanted touch phones.”

That feedback look then results in lack of urgency.

“We realised at Nokia that touch was increasingly important and were working towards doing it, but when a company is really busy holding on to what it has built, it is difficult to put enough of a push towards something so drastically new and engender urgency in it,” he says.

“Kudos to Apple though, they had absolutely nothing to lose by taking the risk of re-thinking the interface in such as way, as it was their introduction to the market.”

I’m glad to see Arianna make this move. Anonymity breeds irresponsibility.

“I feel that freedom of expression is given to people who stand up for what they say and not hiding behind anonymity,” she said. “we need to evolve a platform to meet the needs of the grown-up Internet,” she said.

Really enjoyed Claudia’s framing of what life is really like for most of us… A squiggly line…

From George Saunders..

Since, according to me, your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving: Hurry up.  Speed it along.  Start right now.  There’s a confusion in each of us, a sickness, really:selfishness.  But there’s also a cure.  So be a good and proactive and even somewhat desperate patient on your own behalf – seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines, energetically, for the rest of your life.

Do all the other things, the ambitious things – travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop) – but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.  Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial.  That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality – your soul, if you will – is as bright and shining as any that has ever been.  Bright as Shakespeare’s, bright as Gandhi’s, bright as Mother Teresa’s.  Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place.  Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly.

You can read the full speech here…