Early Adopter vs. Early Adapter

As I was on my morning walk today enjoying the transition from Summer to Fall (which can be quite dramatic in Northern Michigan), I was struck by the first flashes of color in the grand maple trees and it got me thinking about change in general. There are two terms that are often used, albeit incorrectly, interchangeably. 

According to Google Gemini:

Early ADOPTER is the correct term for a person who embraces and uses a new product or technology shortly after it is released, often before the general public. Early adopters are typically enthusiastic about new advancements, are willing to take a risk on a new product, and often provide valuable feedback to the company. They are a key segment in the "Technology Adoption Lifecycle" model, which outlines how new innovations are adopted by different groups of people over time.

Early ADAPTER --a term generally considered a misspelling or a grammatical error. While the word "adapter" refers to someone or something that adjusts or modifies, it is not the standard term used to describe a person who is an early consumer of a new product. If you want to describe someone who adjusts or modifies things in their early stages, you would use "adapter," but in the context of consumer behavior and technology, "adopter" is the correct and widely accepted term.

There's a lot of drastic and unprecedented change happening, and in particular, in the pharma/biotech sector. IMHO it seems like we all need to embrace little bit of both ADAPTOR and ADAPTER as our world evolves, whether it be about increased #FDA enforcement activity, or the rise of #GenAI in content creation and process improvement.

Change is inevitable. So which camp are you in?

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