The digital age has seen new disruptors innovate the best solutions to counter common problems people face. While there are countless disruptors in each industry, there are those who become one's favorite for different reasons.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners who are their favorite disruptors and here are the responses;
#1- Jonah Peretti
When it comes to digital media there doesn't exist a better disruptor than Jonah Peretti. By creating BuzzFeed, Jonah Peretti entered history as the man who set up the first successful media in the era of social networks. BuzzFeed was conceived as a kind of viral laboratory that deals with digital media. The focus wasn't on the content people looked for on the internet. Rather it was on the things they liked to share. Peretti used that knowledge and the explosive growth of social media with the understanding of how people consume them and made BuzzFeed into one of the most important media companies on the Internet.
Thanks to Dewayne Hamilton, Web Cosmo Forums!
#2-Calendly
I'd say my favorite disruptor is Calendly – where you can allocate time in your calendar to meetings/calls, share the link with whoever you're proposing to meet, and voila! – it gets booked. I admire how simple the idea is, easy to use, and solves an actual problem of coordination. Calendly is razor-sharp focused, saving hours and frustration. As someone who deals with patient empowerment, I always admire a tool that helps people do a better job of organizing their life and increasing effectiveness.
Thanks to Talya Miron-Shatz, Buddy&Soul!
#3-NetFlix
My absolute favorite disruptor is NetFlix. As a millennial business owner, I just don't have time to watch TV. Running a business, taking care of obligations, keeping in touch with loves ones and friends, and maintaining my health leaves very little room to be able to sit down in front of the TV for hours at a time. When I do have some time to watch a show, it may be while I am waiting for my next appointment or I have a little extra time to myself. I can view on my own time with NetFlix. Cable companies have been extremely slow to adapt, so it is great to hear that people are cutting the cord at record levels. I love how more and more options are coming so that people can watch movies, shows and other programs when they want. Cable companies have had so long to innovate but they just failed to do so. Had they actually been more forward-thinking, NetFlix may not even have existed. I also love the fact that NetFlix is getting into the movie space. It was funny to hear about the controversy because some people in Hollywood feel that NetFlix should not be allowed in the Oscars. I love it when established people feel threatened by new ideas that threaten the status quo.
Thanks to Jonaed Iqbal, NoDegree.com!
#4-Clayton Christensen
Everyone touts innovators like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, and for good reason. However, too many people seem to overlook the contributions of Clayton Christensen. This man literally laid out the disruption playbook through his books and let people know of both the opportunities and dangers of disruption. I always go back to the well that is his work to try and learn something new.
Thanks to Shaan Patel, Prep Expert!
#5- Elon Musk
Elon Musk is one of my favorite disruptors. He puts himself out there and isn’t afraid to be bold. One of the core values at our company is to be bold, and he’s a great example of the places that type of thinking can take you. If you think big and are courageous in the presence of fear and challenges, you can do groundbreaking work. Musk is as innovative as they come. He doesn’t let the status quo limit his ideas, and he’s a great disruptor because of it. I have a lot of respect for that.
Thanks to Dr. Bryan Laskin, Operability!
#6- Three disruptors
It is hard not to put Steve Jobs at the top of that list, he created a brand in Apple that has changed the habits of the world and made design important in our everyday lives. Whether you love him or hate him, Jeff Bezos has disrupted every category he has entered starting with books (remember when that was ALL they sold). Reid Hoffman at Netflix is now shaking up Hollywood in ways that even Steven Spielberg is not comfortable with. You have to give these disrupters credit for their vision, courage and determination to make their dreams become a reality.
Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls!