<ul data-eligibleForWebStory="true">The tech industry faces a design talent crisis caused by toxic work environments.Companies treating designers as strategic partners outperform others in growth and innovation.Design-focused companies show better business outcomes and financial benefits.Airbnb's success is attributed to empowering designers as strategic decision-makers.Established companies often overlook digital design, leading to ineffective outcomes.Design is often treated as an afterthought, resulting in costly fixes and technical debt.People-first companies integrate design thinking into core decision-making processes.Designers prefer companies valuing their strategic contributions and offering growth opportunities.Design-forward companies attract top designers with culture and growth prospects.Companies embedding design thinking in their DNA outperform competitors in user-centric markets.The choice is between short-term cost optimization and long-term competitive advantage.Companies must invest in people-first design culture to stay competitive.Designers are crucial in shaping a company's competitive future.User expectations drive the importance of design culture in product development.Companies need to view design as a strategic investment, not just a cost center.