Business & Strategy
Section 1
Core Idea
The technology adoption lifecycle segments customers by when and why they adopt something new: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards. Each segment has different motivations and needs. The core idea: you can't treat all adopters the same. Early adopters tolerate bugs and want vision; the majority want proof and ease. Build and go-to-market by stage — cross the chasm from early adopters to early majority with a focused beachhead and a whole product.
Free playbook
Get The Business Model Playbook
58 business models, one visual page each: how the money flows, the metrics that matter, and who runs it. Free when you join the Faster Than Normal email.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Section 2
How to See It
Product & Roadmap
You're seeing Technology Adoption Lifecycle when early users ask for "more, faster, weirder" and mainstream users ask for "simpler, proven, supported." Roadmap and messaging that work for one segment fail for the other.
Go-to-Market
You're seeing Technology Adoption Lifecycle when channels and sales motion differ by segment — early adopters through community and referrals; early majority through references, case studies, and distribution partners. One playbook doesn't fit all.
Growth
You're seeing Technology Adoption Lifecycle when growth stalls after early adopters are saturated — the "chasm" — because the value prop and product aren't yet right for the pragmatic majority. Crossing requires a focused segment and whole product.
Section 3
How to Use It
Segment your market by adoption stage. Serve early adopters with vision and speed; don't over-smooth for them. To cross the chasm, pick one beachhead segment in the early majority, build the "whole product" (what they need to say yes), and win that segment before expanding. Don't dilute messaging or product trying to serve every stage at once.
Decision filter
"Which adoption segment are we targeting with this decision? If we're optimising for early adopters, we may be making the product harder for the majority. If we're going for the majority, we need proof and simplicity — are we there yet?"
As a founder
Use the lifecycle to choose who to serve first and how to talk to them. Early on, lean into innovators and early adopters; use their feedback for product, but don't let them set the bar for "simple enough" for the majority. When you're ready to cross the chasm, pick one vertical or use case, build the whole product for it, and win before broadening.
Section 5
Founders & Leaders
Kevin KellyCo-founder, Wired; author, The Inevitable
Kelly has long written about how technology adoption unfolds — who adopts first, how trends spread, and what becomes inevitable once a technology reaches a threshold. His work helps founders see adoption as a wave with distinct segments and timing. Founders can apply this by mapping their market to the lifecycle and designing product and GTM for the segment they're targeting now, not for an abstract "everyone."
Section 7
Connected Models
Reinforces
Crossing the Chasm
Crossing the chasm (Geoffrey Moore) is the move from early adopters to early majority. The lifecycle defines the segments; chasm-crossing is the strategy for the transition. Focus beachhead and whole product.
Reinforces
Segmentation
Segmentation by adoption stage is a form of customer segmentation. Different segments need different value props, proof, and channels. Use lifecycle to segment and prioritise.
Tension
Hype Curve
The hype curve (Gartner) describes visibility and disillusionment. Early in the lifecycle, hype can peak before adoption; don't confuse hype with penetration. Lifecycle focuses on who adopts; hype curve on expectations.
Section 8
One Key Quote
— Geoffrey Moore, Crossing the Chasm (1991)"The key to crossing the chasm is to focus on a single beachhead market and commit to being the leader there."
Section 11
Summary & Further Reading
The technology adoption lifecycle segments adopters (innovators → early adopters → early majority → late majority → laggards). Each segment has different needs. Target one stage at a time; cross the chasm with a focused beachhead and whole product.
01
Book
The canonical framework for moving from early adopters to mainstream.
02
Book
Origin of the adoption lifecycle and diffusion curves.
03