Thomas says that combination has sharpened his understanding of why many large companies fail to innovate. "It comes down to one word," he says. "Iteration." Thomas explains that most large organizations are wired for scale, not speed. Their instinct is to map out multi-year roadmaps and place bold, high-stakes bets-an approach that runs counter to the quick experimentation and continuous feedback loops that true iteration requires. In most big companies, he says, that kind of flexible, trial-and-error mindset simply isn't part of the culture.
