What the IKEA Business Model Tells Us About Data Platforms

First, suspending assumptionsFor most data leaders, the idea of a data platform arrives pre-packaged. It is spoken of as a stack: tools layered neatly on top of each other, or as a purchase decision, something to be evaluated, budgeted, and procured. These assumptions feel natural because they mirror how enterprise software has been sold for decades. Yet familiarity is precisely what makes them dangerous. When assumptions go unquestioned, they define the limits of what we believe is possible.