Unlearning Is a Competitive Advantage

The beliefs that got you here won't get you there

What's worse than being beaten by a competitor? Being beaten by your own employees.

Google didn't lose the AI race to OpenAI because it lacked the talent, technology, or resources. There was something else.

Actually, at some point, one in six OpenAI employees were ex-Googlers. It wasn't the competition that beat Google but Google itself.

The tech giant was trapped in the beliefs that led it to become a leading tech company. By trying to protect its legacy and business model, Google became a victim of itself. Protecting its search business was crucial. Avoiding brand risk was wiser. Gradual deployment was safer.

The beliefs weren't wrong. They were the right beliefs for yesterday's world.

But while Google adopted a cautious approach, OpenAI moved quickly and launched ChatGPT—and the rest is history.

Your organization faces the same trap. The mental models that built your success are now the barriers preventing your next breakthrough. What got you here won't get you there, yet most leaders ca…