--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't optimize for the consumer on…" description: "\"If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet, you're dead.\" — Dara Khosrowshahi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg" --- # If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet… ![“If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet, you're dead.” quote by Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg) > “If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet, you're dead.” [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing consumer experience online is essential for survival in digital markets. **In simple terms:** Focus on users or stay alive. Key Takeaway Design for the consumer. Themes digital strategy customer focus survival marketing innovation Mood urgent strategic Type business motivational When to use this quote - e‑commerce - social media platforms - online services - startup growth Key Concepts user experience value proposition network effects Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure consumer satisfaction? - What changes could improve user experience? A Different Perspective Neglecting consumer needs can lead to rapid decline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumer/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Optimize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimize/) ## Related quotes > [Because everybody else was investing in the consumer Internet, I did, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneel-bhusri/because-everybody-else-was-investing-in-the-consumer-internet-i-did/) [Aneel Bhusri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneel-bhusri/) > [I would say the consumer Internet companies - in a lot of ways, if you go inside the consumer Internet companies and you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-say-the-consumer-internet-companies-in-a-lot-of-ways-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [China rightly identified consumer Internet as important and moved to protect it, and we need to do the same in India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavish-aggarwal/china-rightly-identified-consumer-internet-as-important-and-moved-to/) [Bhavish Aggarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavish-aggarwal/) > [“Difference between TV and the internet was how far you sat from the screen. TV was an 8 foot activity, and you were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/difference-between-tv-and-the-internet-was-how-far-you-sat-from-the/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I focus on consumer Internet. Sometimes it's a working prototype; sometimes it's an idea on a napkin. I don't do a ton of deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rose/i-focus-on-consumer-internet-sometimes-it-s-a-working-prototype/) [Kevin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rose/) > [Yahoo is still in many ways the definitive brand of the consumer Internet, but I don't think they can or should compete with Google…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-levinsohn/yahoo-is-still-in-many-ways-the-definitive-brand-of-the-consumer/) [Ross Levinsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-levinsohn/) > [When everything on the internet is dead, and you're forced to do something productive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-on-the-internet-is-dead-and-you-re-forced-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I read on the Internet that I was dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/i-read-on-the-internet-that-i-was-dead/) [Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/) > [Over the past 10 years, the majority of value creation in the venture community has been in consumer Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gurley/over-the-past-10-years-the-majority-of-value-creation-in-the-venture/) [Bill Gurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gurley/) > [“growth on the consumer Internet sits precisely at the intersection of engineering and human nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/growth-on-the-consumer-internet-sits-precisely-at-the-intersection-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think that, in the end, the consumer's going to win on the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/i-think-that-in-the-end-the-consumer-s-going-to-win-on-the-internet/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [The problem is, education in America is sub-optimal because it is an impossible thing to optimize. It necessarily has to be local because different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/the-problem-is-education-in-america-is-sub-optimal-because-it-is-an/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/if-you-optimize-everything-you-will-always-be-unhappy/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [Breast cancer isn't one disease - it's probably four or five different types, and without knowing what type a person has, you can't optimize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/breast-cancer-isn-t-one-disease-it-s-probably-four-or-five-different/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [Engineers love to optimize problems. Now I optimize logistical problems. I ask: 'What's the goal? What are our constraints? What is the optimal, elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruchi-sanghvi/engineers-love-to-optimize-problems-now-i-optimize-logistical/) [Ruchi Sanghvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruchi-sanghvi/) ## More by Dara Khosrowshahi > [Taking big risks combined with having a team you believe in and that believes just as much in you as a leader make for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/taking-big-risks-combined-with-having-a-team-you-believe-in-and-that/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [Where people work and their environment is becoming more and more important, especially for millennials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/where-people-work-and-their-environment-is-becoming-more-and-more/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [What some Americans don't appreciate is how strong the brand of the American Dream is around the world. I'm an example of how powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/what-some-americans-don-t-appreciate-is-how-strong-the-brand-of-the/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [Chinese consumers don't book hotel rooms that are as expensive as U.S. consumers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/chinese-consumers-don-t-book-hotel-rooms-that-are-as-expensive-as-u-s/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [My wife and I got married on 12/12/12 in Las Vegas, and she was wearing a Slayer T-shirt. That tells you what kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/my-wife-and-i-got-married-on-12-12-12-in-las-vegas-and-she-was/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [As companies get bigger, they tend to slow down. It's a universal law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/as-companies-get-bigger-they-tend-to-slow-down-it-s-a-universal-law/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [Traveloka is the clear online travel leader in Indonesia and is expanding aggressively throughout Southeast Asia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/traveloka-is-the-clear-online-travel-leader-in-indonesia-and-is/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [I think my background, coming from Iran, which is a great country but is going through its share of troubles, really allows me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/i-think-my-background-coming-from-iran-which-is-a-great-country-but/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [I started in investment banking at Allen & Company in 1991. It was the go-go days of media mergers, and we were incredibly busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/i-started-in-investment-banking-at-allen-company-in-1991-it-was-the/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [When I was in my 20s, I learned not only how to work hard but about the importance of focus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/when-i-was-in-my-20s-i-learned-not-only-how-to-work-hard-but-about/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [I think from a personal standpoint, maybe I appreciate a little more that there are two sides to every story, and the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/i-think-from-a-personal-standpoint-maybe-i-appreciate-a-little-more/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [While Expedia is outbound-focused, Wotif is much more about domestic travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/while-expedia-is-outbound-focused-wotif-is-much-more-about-domestic/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [You have to empower your employees to make their own choices and trust that they will make the right choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/you-have-to-empower-your-employees-to-make-their-own-choices-and/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [A CEO of a multinational global company can't say what to do; you've got to plant the flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/a-ceo-of-a-multinational-global-company-can-t-say-what-to-do-you-ve/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) > [I thought all those channels on cable TV were really cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/i-thought-all-those-channels-on-cable-tv-were-really-cool/) [Dara Khosrowshahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) [Explore all 55 Dara Khosrowshahi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/) ## More Consumer quotes > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [At age 28, I had no retail experience, no consumer marketing experience and no real Internet experience. But I decided I wanted to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariam-naficy/at-age-28-i-had-no-retail-experience-no-consumer-marketing-experience/) [Mariam Naficy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariam-naficy/) > [Women now influence the majority of consumer purchases. It is women's votes that will secure victory at the next election, hence the altogether delicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/women-now-influence-the-majority-of-consumer-purchases-it-is-women-s/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is it is what consumers tell each other it is. - Scott Cook,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cook/a-brand-is-no-longer-what-we-tell-the-consumer-it-is-it-is-what/) [Scott Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cook/) > [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/) [Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [When I put on my consumer hat, and I'm buying tickets to be entertained, I'm not interested in seeing, like, 'Don Quixote.' Unless someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-peck/when-i-put-on-my-consumer-hat-and-i-m-buying-tickets-to-be/) [Justin Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-peck/) > [The pharma pricing system was not built on the idea of consumer engagement. It was built... on market efficiencies. It was not built on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bresch/the-pharma-pricing-system-was-not-built-on-the-idea-of-consumer/) [Heather Bresch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bresch/) > [“We consumer and become exactly what we create. In all times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/we-consumer-and-become-exactly-what-we-create-in-all-times/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [The broken consumer credit market had to be repaired by making sure that consumers had the right information and could use it effectively. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-broken-consumer-credit-market-had-to-be-repaired-by-making-sure/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I'm caught up probably just as much in the consumer culture as the next person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-m-caught-up-probably-just-as-much-in-the-consumer-culture-as-the/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [Computing shows up in many different ways. You have computing that you wear, computing that you carry. What you think of as the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/computing-shows-up-in-many-different-ways-you-have-computing-that-you/) [Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/) > [The problem is that the global arms trade is entirely free of international regulation. In a world in which the flow of consumer goods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-benn/the-problem-is-that-the-global-arms-trade-is-entirely-free-of/) [Hilary Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-benn/) > [With every decisions we make, the last question we ask is what does the consumer think of this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-fitzgerald/with-every-decisions-we-make-the-last-question-we-ask-is-what-does/) Niall FitzGerald > [The Dabo people are consumer marketing geniuses. This is exactly why we acquired them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-edelman/the-dabo-people-are-consumer-marketing-geniuses-this-is-exactly-why/) [Richard Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-edelman/) [Browse all 475 Consumer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet, you're dead.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dara Khosrowshahi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-on-the-internet-you-re-dead/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Consumer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-on-the-internet-you-re-dead/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/dara-khosrowshahi-12261_consumer_if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-o_134026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you don't optimize for the consumer on the Internet, you're dead.” — Dara Khosrowshahi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dara Khosrowshahi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-khosrowshahi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you don't optimize for the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-on-the-internet-you-re-dead/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-khosrowshahi/if-you-don-t-optimize-for-the-consumer-on-the-internet-you-re-dead/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```