Start with the problem first… not the AI
As Apple navigates one of its biggest leadership transitions in 15 years—with Tim Cook stepping down as CEO and John Ternus stepping in—I found myself rewatching this classic Steve Jobs clip from WWDC 1997.
In it, Jobs says:
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to try to sell it.”
Spot on then. Even more critical now.
But here’s where I believe we need to push it further in 2026:
Start with the problem first.
Not the tech. Not the feature list. Not the shiny new capability.
Be relentless problem solvers.
Whether you’re designing the next customer experience, re-engineering an internal process, or chasing efficiency gains—begin with the human (or organizational) pain point and work backwards. That’s the only way to create solutions that actually matter.
This has never been more true than with agentic AI.
The speed at which we can now move from problem to prototype to production has accelerated dramatically. What used to take months now happens in days or weeks. That speed is incredible… but it also makes starting with the right problem non-negotiable. Get the problem wrong and you’re just scaling inefficiency faster than ever before.
Get it right—by obsessing over real customer friction, broken internal workflows, or hidden inefficiencies—and agentic AI becomes the ultimate multiplier for innovation, experience, and value.
Apple’s legacy under Jobs (and Cook) reminds us that world-class product and experience design has always been rooted in this discipline. As we enter the next chapter, the lesson feels more relevant than ever.
What problem are you solving first in your work right now?
