The Power of Little Ideas

Decision 3 How Will You Innovate?

Inside a nondescript office building in Bellevue, Washington, sits one of the most profitable companies in the tech industry. Valve Corporation’s annual revenue per employee—more than $2 million—far exceeds the best performance of Google, Facebook, Apple, or any other publicly traded tech giant. Yet it’s a company known only to passionate gamers.

Valve has been able to capture an estimated 50 to 70 percent of its market—the distribution of PC-based games—because it has mastered decision 3. It has continually ...