---
id: "quote-stop-paving-cow-paths"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ Incumbents Must Rethink Their Architecture"]
tags: ["process-engineering"]
related: ["concept-paving-the-cow-paths", "action-rearchitect-workflows", "entity-michael-hammer"]
speaker: "Michael Hammer"
speakers: ["Michael Hammer"]
quote: "It’s time to stop paving the cow paths. Instead of embedding outdated processes in silicon and software, we should obliterate them and start over."
sources: ["futures"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-futures"
originDay: 2
articleStem: "hbr-new-24-agentic-ai-supercharges-startups"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/07/how-agentic-ai-supercharges-startups-and-threatens-incumbents"
sourceTitle: "How Agentic AI Supercharges Startups and Threatens Incumbents"
---
# Stop Paving the Cow Paths

> "It's time to stop paving the cow paths. Instead of embedding outdated processes in silicon and software, we should obliterate them and start over."
> — [[entity-michael-hammer]] (1990)

The founding quote for [[concept-paving-the-cow-paths]], cited by the authors to explain why incumbents fail when applying AI to legacy workflows. It is the imperative behind [[action-rearchitect-workflows]].