Monocle magazine interview - Jørgen Vig Knudstorp

[Sir Nelson]

Monocle Magazine has a great interview (video) on their website with the CEO of LEGO, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp.

View it here

[Ninja-Knight]

I watched it and found it a very interesting video.
Im also glad that they don't "rely" on licensed products, but rely on there own generated products.

[Traveler]

Thanks for posting this, Sir Nelson. It was definitely very interesting.

I must admit I'm a fan of Knudstorp, I think he's going to end up being very good for LEGO. The cuts he's made, though occasionally regrettable, are for the best and may end up saving the company that we all love. I think TLG may have spread itself too thin in the 90s and early 00s, and Knudstorp will hopefully make LEGO profitable again.

Some things he said that I found interesting include:

1) LEGO has reached it's maximum market.

I think he may be dead on with this one. There are only so many households that are going to buy LEGOs. They are a more expensive, better quality, higher end product than most other toys. They can't go on growing forever because LEGO is essentially a niche market. It's a big niche, but a niche all the same.

2) LEGO is privately owned and operated.

I'm glad LEGO didn't go public with the introduction of a CEO from outside the family. It's nice to see that this company is still ultimately held responsible for it's actions not by some board of investors and stockholders, but by the family that brought us these great toys and continues to have a big part of their future.

[JoshWedin]

That is an excellent interview. Mr. Knudstorp not only sounds extremely intelligent, but also sounds like a great guy. It seems that Lego is currently in good hands.

Josh

[DARKspawn]

The future looks bright! I think there were alot of realistic comments made in that interview & it really lifts my spirits to think that the future is beginning to look profitable for my favorite company. His comments about Globalisation & the movement of the labour force to the East were very insightful too - I like this guy

[Spongey]

Thanks for finding this Sir Nelson. It was very informative, and answered some important questions.

[timber_wolf899]

More "cant survive if we dont build in asia."

hogwash

[JoshWedin]

More "cant survive if we dont build in asia."

hogwash

Umm...they don't build in Asia.

Josh

[Traveler]

More "cant survive if we dont build in asia."

hogwash

Umm...they don't build in Asia.

Josh

And I'm not sure it's hogwash for a lot of companies who say that.

[brody]

Thanks for posting this Sir Nelson. Great interview! I'm currently working as a designer at another global Scandinavian company, and it was interesting to note the similarites between what Knudstorp was saying about the changes he was making to TLG corporate culture and business model, and the dialogue we are currently having at my own office about those same issues. That's especially true regarding the concept of 'open-source,' as a way to move forward into the future. I don't think LEGO is there yet, but it sounds like this year will be a pivotal one, and It'll be very interesting to see how these changes are reflected in product offerings, set design, and the LEGO group's marketing efforts.

On another note, it was also very interesting to hear Knudstorp's breakdown of the US market, ie. who 'LEGO families' are, and where they live (New England, the midwest around Chicago, parts of Texas, and Southern California). I compared that with our own Frappr Map, and his comments seemed pretty accurate with the exception of the Pacific Northwest (this was a casual comparison, not an in-depth analysis).

Sort of wish they had moved the company to London, I'd send them my CV!

Cheers,
Brody

[Matt BeDar]

I believe Knudstorp explained why the company would not be changing headquarters any time in the nearby future. One word, heritage

[Prince Imdol]

A good find Sir Nelson. I did like the video, but the name is a little cheezy. Mononicle. lol.


P.I

[architect]

A good find Sir Nelson. I did like the video, but the name is a little cheezy. Mononicle. lol.


P.I

A monocle is a single corrective lense for one eye: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monocle

The online magazine is likely using the term to show different "viewpoints" of current issues. http://www.monoclemagazine.com/concept/index.php

Ben

[g2]

A very interesting interview indeed. I was glued to my computer monitor for the entire thing. Thanks for posting it.

[kelderic]

I am watching it right now, and have noticed something. He constantly says things like "kids play with legos". I had thought that TLG didn't like beople to refer to Legos as Legos, but to call them bricks. Hehe, I like this guy.

Kelderic