Bob Moesta is an innovator, entrepreneur, and co-creator of the Jobs to Be Done theory. Along with the late Clayton Christensen, Bob helped shape one of the most influential frameworks in modern business thinking. When Bob joined me on the Conquer Local podcast, we talked about mentorship, innovation, and why we may have reached the point where there is more technology available than customers know what to do with.
If you build products, lead innovation, or sell complex solutions, this conversation is a gift. Bob has a rare gift for cutting through buzzwords and explaining what actually drives buying behavior.
What It Was Like to Be Mentored by Clayton Christensen
One of my favorite parts of the conversation was Bob reflecting on nearly three decades of mentorship with Clayton Christensen. He told me:
“I got four hours a quarter for 27 years with Clay Christensen with no agenda. We would sit down and he would talk about what he was researching. I’d talk about what I was doing.”
That is the mentor relationship most of us dream about. Bob said they eventually became collaborators on Jobs to Be Done theory, although he would never claim to have been Clay’s equal. What struck me was how much intellectual space they gave each other. No pitch, no deliverables, just two curious minds refining ideas over decades.
If you want to build a mentorship that lasts, Bob’s approach is a model. Skip the agenda. Make room for genuine curiosity. Over time, mentors and mentees can become peers if they stay generous with each other. It is the same lesson I share in why investing in yourself is the real turning point.
Jobs to Be Done in Plain Language
Jobs to Be Done theory says that customers do not buy products, they hire them to do a job. When a product stops doing the job well, customers fire it and hire something else. That framing changes how you design, sell, and position your offering.
Most sales teams sell features. Bob’s work teaches us to sell progress. The right question is not “What do you want?” It is “What are you trying to get done, and what is standing in your way?” Every good discovery conversation is really a Jobs to Be Done conversation in disguise. That is why I push teams to avoid shallow discovery. Read more in my conversation with Keenan on why discovery is broken.
We Have More Technology Than People Can Consume
The part of the conversation I cannot stop thinking about was Bob’s take on the pace of innovation. I asked him where we are on the hockey stick curve, and he surprised me with his answer:
“I actually think we have more technology than can be consumed. I don’t think we have enough struggling moments in people’s lives to know how to pull this stuff in.”
He called it technology in search of a job. The Segway was his favorite example. Amazing technology, but very few people had a job where a Segway was the right hire. Most technology in the hopper today will never find a customer because the customer does not have a struggle worth solving with it.
That should humble every founder and product leader. The right question is not “What can this technology do?” It is “What struggle does this technology end, and who is struggling that way right now?”
Why Innovation Is a Pull, Not a Push
This is the lesson I want every seller to internalize. Customers do not pull new technology into their lives because it is impressive. They pull it in because they are in a struggling moment that nothing else solves. If you cannot name the struggle, you cannot sell the solution.
Here are the questions I now ask on every discovery call after talking with Bob:
- What were you trying to get done when you first started looking at solutions like ours?
- What did you try before us, and why did it not work?
- What would have to be true for you to fire your current provider tomorrow?
- What are the trade offs you are willing to make to get progress?
The Power of Collaboration Over Competition
Bob’s relationship with Clay Christensen taught me something else. The best collaborations happen when you stop competing and start building something neither of you could build alone. That is true in mentorship, in co-founder relationships, and in partnerships with customers.
If you are chasing a title, you will always be chasing. If you are chasing a problem worth solving with people worth working alongside, you will build something that lasts.
For more on the future of B2B selling in this environment, read my piece on the future of B2B sales in 2026.
What job is your product being hired to do, and are you sure you know the answer?