#63: The Fourth Wave of Disruption with Thales Teixeira

Startups don’t beat giants by inventing new technology — they win by focusing on one sliver of the customer value chain and doing it better than anyone else.

Thales Teixeira is a former Harvard Business School professor, co-founder of Decoupling.co, and author of the bestselling book Unlocking the Customer Value Chain. His groundbreaking research shows how companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Dollar Shave Club disrupted entire industries — not by building flashy tech, but by solving the specific customer frustrations incumbents ignored.

In this episode, Thales and Jean unpack what he calls the “fourth wave of disruption.” From unbundling to disintermediation to decoupling — and now AI — he explains why customer dissatisfaction is the true driver of disruption, and how leaders can use AI to enhance real value instead of chasing shiny tools.

We talk about:
🔹 Why customer dissatisfaction — not technology — drives disruption
🔹 The three waves that shaped modern business (and the fourth wave powered by AI)
🔹 How startups succeed by focusing narrowly on one activity in the customer value chain
🔹 Why established companies struggle to innovate and scale new ideas
🔹 How to apply AI strategically to enhance customer value drivers
🔹 The biggest mistake leaders make with AI (hint: it’s not about chatbots)
🔹 Why freedom in business — and life — comes from having options

Quotes from the Episode:
💬 "Freedom is the ability to choose."
💬 "Customers, not technology, disrupt markets."
💬 "Focus on one use case — prove it first."
💬 "Don’t try to scale too soon. Build the system before you automate."

Actionable Takeaways:
✅ Map your customer value chain and identify weak links
✅ Narrow your focus to one “sliver” and do it better than anyone else
✅ Apply AI only to core value drivers, not side tasks
✅ Test manually before scaling or automating
✅ Remember: innovation is incremental — small wins compound into disruption

Resources from this episode:
→ Learn more about Thales: www.decoupling.co 
→ Read Unlocking the Customer Value Chain: www.amazon.com
→ Connect with Thales on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thalesteixeira 

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🎧 For more conversations on leadership, disruption, and building companies that last, visit www.jeanmoncrieff.com