Disruptive Engineering

Engineering that doesn't just make a better product; it makes the old product (and often the entire industry behind it) completely obsolete by introducing a simpler, cheaper, and more accessible alternative. It’s not about incremental upgrades (a sharper razor blade); it’s about changing the fundamental game (inventing the electric shaver). Disruptive engineers ask, "What if we bypass the entire complicated, expensive system?" They prioritize accessibility and new-market creation over serving existing high-end customers.

Example: Disruptive Engineering is what Netflix did to Blockbuster. Instead of engineering better DVD coatings or more efficient physical store layouts, they engineered a mail-order and later streaming system that made the physical rental store—and its late fees, inventory problems, and real estate costs—utterly irrelevant.

Disruptive Engineering by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 3, 2026