Photo: World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Clayton Christensen was listed as a priest, university teacher and writer. Clayton Christensen was born on April 6, 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Death is recorded on January 23, 2020, at the age of 67. Schooling on record includes West High School and Brigham Young University. Awards on record include Herbert Simon Award (2014), Rhodes Scholarship (1975) and honorary doctorate (2016).
My Take
Clayton Christensen was one of those rare thinkers who could hand you a simple framework and completely rewire how you see the world. His concept of disruptive innovation — the idea that scrappy upstarts topple giants not by beating them at their own game but by targeting overlooked customers with "good enough" products — became the lens through which Silicon Valley, boardrooms, and business schools interpreted almost everything from 2000 onward. A Rhodes Scholar out of Brigham Young University, he spent decades at Harvard Business School earning a reputation as one of the most cited management thinkers alive. What I find genuinely moving is that alongside all the intellectual firepower, he was a deeply humble man of faith who wrote openly about what he believed mattered more than strategy. He passed in January 2020, and the field is noticeably quieter without him.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Clayton Christensen
- Name (Japanese)
- クレイトン・クリステンセン
- Reading
- くれいとん・くりすてんせん
- Born
- April 6, 1952 – January 23, 2020
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dragon
- Origin
- Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Occupation
- priest / university teacher / writer / missionary / economist
2. Background
- High school
- West High School
- University
- Brigham Young University
Awards & achievements
- 2014 Herbert Simon Award
- 1975 Rhodes Scholarship
- 2016 honorary doctorate
3. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.claytonchristensen.com/
- Xhttps://x.com/claychristensen
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton%20Christensen
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5130292
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Clayton Christensen born?
Born April 6, 1952.
When did Clayton Christensen die?
Died January 23, 2020, aged 67.
Where was Clayton Christensen from?
Clayton Christensen was from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
What did Clayton Christensen do?
Clayton Christensen worked as priest, university teacher, writer, missionary, economist.
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