Clint Betts honored the late Clayton Christensen during the opening session of the Silicon Slopes tech summit on Thursday.

What happened: Betts, executive director of Silicon Slopes, stepped out onto the stage, waited for the crowd to quiet and then honored Christensen.

Context: Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation inspired tech leaders and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Silicon Slopes.

What he said: Betts honored Christensen before the crowd of thousands.

  • “Decide what you stand for and then stand for it all the time.” 
  • “A great man once said that. Clayton Christensen. Give it up for Clay.”
  • “Clayton cared deeply about living a full and meaningful life and spent much of his encouraging others to do the same.”
  • Betts said Christensen’s “most impactful teachings revolved around the question: how will you measure your life?”
  • Betts said this quote has stuck with him recently as he has been thinking about the influence one person can have.
  • Betts said Christensen held the belief that if your blood, sweat and tears are not consistent with the person you want to be, you’ll never become that person.
  • “What will we stand for today?”

Reaction: The crowd applauded the late tech innovator, who passed away earlier this month. 

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Earlier: Traeger Grills CEO and BYU alum Jeremy Andrus mentioned Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation earlier in the day.

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