What I learned from my years in Silicon Valley is that design can have a primary role in how a business is shaped, how a company can be design-driven. In my experience of large industry in Europe, that knowledge has been lost.

Yves Behar’s quote highlights the powerful role that design plays in shaping a company’s identity and success. He reflects on his experience in Silicon Valley, where design is often at the core of a company’s strategy and innovation. Behar suggests that design-driven companies are more likely to thrive because they prioritize the user experience and aesthetic, which can influence both the products and the company's overall culture. His statement implies that design is not just about creating attractive products, but also about forming the foundational elements of a company’s business model and direction.

In contrast, Behar points out that in his experience with large industry in Europe, this understanding of design’s importance has been lost. He believes that European companies may not fully embrace the potential of design to drive business decisions and growth. This observation highlights a cultural difference between the more innovative, design-focused tech culture of Silicon Valley and the more traditional, perhaps less flexible, approach in European industries.

Behar’s statement is rooted in his own experience working with companies in both regions, seeing firsthand how a design-centric approach can transform a business. Silicon Valley has been at the forefront of embracing design as a tool for innovation, while many traditional industries in Europe may have been slower to adopt this mindset. The emphasis here is on the power of design in influencing not just the visual aspects of a product, but also the entire organizational framework.

The origin of this quote stems from Behar’s long career as a designer, working on various high-profile projects and innovations, many of which involved integrating design into the heart of the business. His message is clear: design has the potential to reshape industries, and it’s a lesson that Silicon Valley has fully embraced, while other regions like Europe have yet to fully recognize its transformative power.