The tech world is rife with stories of incumbents launching internal challengers to combat agile startups. One of the more telling examples is Siebel’s attempt to fend off Salesforce by rolling out CRMOnDemand.What happened? Instead of solidifying their position, Siebel created chaos. With two teams competing for the same customers, confusion reigned. One team could win, but everyone lost in clarity. Sales strategies became muddled; customers faced mixed messages, and even positioning suffered.As companies like ServiceNow look to roll out their own AI-native solutions (Flow), this history repeats itself. Two teams fighting over the same client just leads to chaos: a lesson worth heeding.Instead of launching internal competitors, incumbents might consider a hard pivot or even acquisition. Just look at what Adobe did and what Salesforce is doing now.The takeaway here? Don’t let internal rivalry cloud your strategy. Embrace clarity instead of chaos.
What’s your take on ServiceNow’s launch of Flow?
