Alex Banayan
#1 International Bestselling Author | Creator of The Third Door Framework | Forbes 30 Under 30
Michael B. Horn
Co-Founder, Clayton Christensen Institute | Author of Disrupting Class & Blended | Education Innovation & Future of Learning
Michael B. Horn is the defining voice on disruptive innovation in education. Co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and author of Disrupting Class, Blended, and From Reopen to Reinvent, he has shaped how schools, universities, and employers approach learning transformation. Audiences leave with a clear framework for navigating change.
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Michael B. Horn biography
Michael B. Horn is one of the most influential thinkers on how education must change to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy. As co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, he has spent two decades applying the theory of disruptive innovation — originally developed to explain how industries are upended by insurgent players — to K-12 schools, higher education, and workforce learning. His work has shaped policy conversations, school design, and corporate training programs across the United States and beyond.
Horn is co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (with Clayton Christensen and Curtis Johnson), which became a foundational text in education reform and was named one of the best business books of the year by BusinessWeek. His follow-up, Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (with Heather Staker), offered practitioners a practical framework for implementing blended learning models and is widely used by school leaders and education entrepreneurs. He later co-authored Choosing College (with Bob Moesta), applying jobs-to-be-done theory to the decisions students make about higher education.
From Reopen to Reinvent
His most recent book, From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Creating School for Every Child, arrived at a pivotal moment for K-12 education, arguing that the disruption of schooling — accelerated by the pandemic — presents a historic opportunity to redesign learning around individual student needs rather than institutional convenience. Horn is also co-host of the Future U podcast, one of the leading conversations in higher education, and contributes regularly to Forbes and EdSurge. He is Senior Strategist at Guild Education, the workforce education company that helps employers invest in learning pathways for frontline workers.
As an education speaker, Michael B. Horn brings uncommon clarity to questions that keep institutional leaders up at night: How do you redesign learning at scale? What does the future of higher education look like as online and competency-based models gain ground? How can employers build meaningful learning cultures that retain talent and drive performance? His talks combine rigorous frameworks drawn from innovation theory with real-world case studies, giving senior audiences not just a diagnosis of what is broken in education, but actionable models for building what comes next.
Michael B. Horn Speaking Videos
Michael B. Horn - Disrupting Class
Michael B. Horn - How to be the Change in Education
Michael B. Horn Keynote Topics
Horn draws on his landmark research to show how disruptive innovation — the same force that reshaped music, retail, and media — is now fundamentally altering how and where learning happens. He maps the trajectory of online and competency-based learning, explains why traditional institutions struggle to adapt, and gives leaders a strategic lens for positioning their organizations on the right side of the curve.
Based on his work with hundreds of schools and districts, Horn walks through the practical models organizations are using to personalize learning at scale. This talk moves beyond buzzwords to give school leaders and education entrepreneurs a concrete framework for redesigning instructional models, deploying technology with purpose, and measuring what actually matters for student outcomes.
Horn makes the case that the disruption of K-12 education represents not a crisis to recover from but a design opportunity to seize. He challenges leaders to ask what schools are actually for, examines which legacy structures are worth preserving, and outlines what a genuinely learner-centered system can look like — drawing on emerging models from across the country.
Applying the jobs-to-be-done framework to higher education, Horn reveals why students enroll, why they leave, and what institutions must do to remain relevant as the value proposition of the four-year degree shifts. This is essential viewing for university presidents, enrollment strategists, and corporate L&D leaders grappling with the future of credentials and workforce readiness.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Michael B. Horn
Why Michael B. Horn?
Booking Michael B. Horn for your event is a strategic choice that puts one of the world's foremost authorities on education transformation in front of your audience. As co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and the author behind the most widely cited framework for applying disruptive innovation theory to learning, Horn brings an intellectual rigor that very few education speakers can match. He does not simply describe trends — he explains the underlying forces driving them and gives leaders actionable models for responding. Whether your audience includes school system executives, university leaders, corporate L&D professionals, or investors in education technology, Horn delivers talks that raise the quality of conversation long after the event ends. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check his availability and discuss how his keynote can be tailored to your organization's specific challenges.
What is Michael B. Horn best known for?
Horn is best known for co-authoring Disrupting Class with the late Clayton Christensen, the Harvard Business School professor who developed the theory of disruptive innovation. The book applied that theory to education for the first time at scale, arguing that online learning would follow a disruptive path similar to that of other industries and eventually replace much of traditional classroom instruction for many students. Published in 2008, it was prescient: the subsequent rise of online and blended learning models has followed closely the trajectory Horn and Christensen mapped out. He is also widely recognized for Blended, which gave practitioners a vocabulary and framework for designing hybrid learning environments.
What happened to the Clayton Christensen Institute?
The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, which Horn co-founded, continues to operate as an independent think tank focused on applying disruptive innovation theory to education and healthcare. It was named in honor of Clayton Christensen following his passing in January 2020. The Institute produces research and policy analysis that informs debates around school choice, personalized learning, online education, and competency-based credentials. Horn himself has also taken on broader roles — including his position as Senior Strategist at Guild Education — while continuing to write, speak, and co-host the Future U podcast on higher education.
What topics does education speaker Michael B. Horn cover in his keynotes?
Horn speaks on the future of K-12 and higher education, disruptive innovation in learning, blended and online learning models, the jobs-to-be-done framework applied to student decision-making, workforce education, and the broader future of work. His keynotes are built for audiences that want depth — school boards, university leadership teams, corporate HR and L&D executives, edtech investors, and policy leaders. Each talk can be customized to the specific sector and strategic challenges of the hiring organization. Reach out to Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss format, audience fit, and speaking fees.
How to book Michael B. Horn as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Michael B. Horn as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Michael B. Horn's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Michael B. Horn or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Michael B. Horn speaking fee?
Michael B. Horn speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Michael B. Horn to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Michael B. Horn.
How can I contact Michael B. Horn?
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Can I book Michael B. Horn for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Michael B. Horn is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Michael B. Horn for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
