Technology Doesn't Sell Itself
One of the biggest myths in technology is that great products naturally find great markets. Engineers often believe that superior technology is enough—that if you build something better, customers will recognize its value and buy it.
My experience has been very different.
Over four decades of commercializing new technologies, I've learned that engineering is only part of the equation. Commercial success depends on understanding customers, solving meaningful business problems, and communicating value in ways the market can immediately understand. I learned that lesson early in my career through one of the most important product launches in modern business history—the IBM Personal Computer.
The Market Was Speaking
Before joining IBM's National Accounts Division, I came to know two key figures behind the IBM PC: marketing executive Ken Powell and Don Estridge, widely recognized as the father of the IBM PC.
Ken explained that IBM's decision to enter the personal computer market didn't begin with sophisticated market research. It began with observation. IBM employees were buying Apple, Atari, and Tandy computers with their own money and bringing them to work because those machines made them more productive.
As Ken later told me, "If IBM employees are buying Apple and Atari PCs to do their work, that's a strong market signal that employees at America's largest companies will want the same capability."
That simple insight helped convince IBM to enter the personal computer business.
Demonstrating Value Changed Everything
When I joined IBM in Dallas, retail demand for the IBM PC was already strong, but corporate customers remained skeptical. Many salespeople and IT departments viewed the PC as a novelty rather than a serious business tool.
I reached a different conclusion. Customers didn't need more technical specifications—they needed practical business solutions.
Working with software partners, I demonstrated how applications like Lotus 1-2-3, word processing, and database software could solve everyday business problems. The seminars quickly became standing-room-only events. Customers stopped talking about processors and memory and began talking about productivity, efficiency, and business results.
Within months, our organization had sold tens of thousands of IBM PCs.
The technology hadn't changed.
The customer's understanding had.
The Lesson Stayed With Me
That experience shaped the way I've approached technology commercialization ever since. Successful companies don't simply introduce new technology—they help customers understand why it matters. The winners are those that connect innovation to measurable business value.
Technology rarely commercializes itself.
People adopt solutions that solve important business problems.