Ep. 5: The value of rumours in tech innovation

Consumer Pod Index

Gossip, hearsay and innuendo are an everyday part of life, but as a society we generally frown upon the spread of unverified information. In a new paper examining the dissemination of rumours within the tech sector, however, assistant professor Tim Hannigan contends that partial knowledge can and does influence the trajectory of product development. Rather than pretend like they don’t pay attention to tech blogs and forums, Hannigan argues, companies might be better served incorporating this partial information into their formal planning processes, and even consider strategically leaking bits of information to rumour sites in order to spur feedback and innovation.