5 Key Insights From Intuitive’s Annual Commercial Meeting

Earlier this month, over 2,000 Intuitive employees from around the world gathered in Orlando, Florida for Intuitive’s 2024 Annual Commercial Meeting. Energy was buzzing through every corridor as folks new and old joined together to kick off the new year. The event’s theme? The future starts now.

To begin this year of innovation, Intuitive leadership and many of our customers—surgeons, hospital executives, and one deeply inspiring patient—took the stage and shared their stories. They looked back on the company’s foundation and rallied around Intuitive’s future vision—all with the belief that Intuitive will continue to advance what’s possible in minimally invasive care.

1. Products matter when they solve a problem

As Intuitive Chief Executive Officer Gary Guthart pointed out, “We are not just a product company. We’re a solutions company.” This theme bubbled up throughout the week, emphasizing that Intuitive’s products exist to help fulfill our mission of helping customers deliver the quintuple aim.

“To earn the right to be first choice, value must be consistent throughout the entire customer journey.” - Jason Hart, Vice President, U.S. and Canada Marketing

Providing meaningful solutions is how Intuitive proves its value with customers. Vice President of U.S. and Canada Marketing, Jason Hart, shared, “To earn the right to be first choice, value must be consistent throughout the customer journey.”

2. “Patients first, always”

These are the non-negotiable words that Intuitive honors every day. Employees had the opportunity to hear firsthand how our offerings impact customers and their patients—who aren’t just strangers, but also colleagues, family members, and friends. Most people will, at some point in their lives, need to visit a doctor. In that way, all of us are patients. We all intrinsically know why less invasive health care is important.

“We want to help customers get better outcomes in the operating room, better care teams faster, and better use of resources.” - Gary Guthart, Chief Executive Officer

Customer alignment, trust, and proven value are necessary in order to put patients first. And Intuitive believes significant opportunity remains in minimally invasive surgery. Gary Guthart expressed, “We want to get better outcomes in the operating room, better care teams faster, and better use of resources.”

3. Partnership and quality require genuine commitment

Intuitive has a high bar for delivering quality across its systems, products, and programs. Henry Charlton, senior vice president and chief commercial and marketing officer, made clear that, “We bring value when we execute our strategy with our customers. Belief can be established when results are delivered.” At Intuitive, ‘belief’ and ‘results’ mean our customers and their patients.

“Delivering the best quality of patient care is a long-term commitment.” - Myriam Curet, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer

The audience took in the reality, direct from one customer’s mouth, that he was trained not to trust vendors—that they can be pushy and not have the hospital’s best interest at heart. He soon realized that Intuitive’s mission aligned with his hospital’s patient-first approach, and that sincere support was being provided every step of the way. It was then that he viewed Intuitive as a partner instead of a vendor.

This reflects the point delivered by Myriam Curet, Intuitive’s chief medical officer, who stated, “Delivering the best quality of patient care is a long-term commitment. We must continue to hold ourselves accountable to continue delivering the highest levels of quality and safety.”

4. Recognition matters

Part of what helps Intuitive quiet outside noise and remain focused is an emphasis on company culture and the values we live by. The expectation of doing the right thing, accountability, working hard, and acknowledging each other’s wins is woven into the fabric of the company. Great ideas and exceptional performance can come from anyone, at any level.

“We have layers of tenured employees at the company. And we have new employees who bring fresh ideas, insights, and capabilities we didn’t have before. I’ve learned so much from them.” - Dave Rosa, President

For one very special night, the hard work and true passion of our employees was recognized in a ceremony hosted by executive leadership. Intuitive President Dave Rosa noted the importance of different perspectives, saying, “We have layers of tenured employees at the company. And we have new employees who bring fresh ideas, insights, and capabilities we didn’t have before. I’ve learned so much from them.”

5. Integrity, humility, and curiosity matter the most

“I’ll give you a hard job. And if you do it well, your reward will be a harder job.” - Lonnie Smith, former Intuitive CEO

Annual Commercial Meeting attendees had the special opportunity to hear from former Intuitive Chief Executive Officer Lonnie Smith in a pre-recorded segment. In it, he spoke of an early interaction between himself and current Intuitive President Dave Rosa—a moment that called for curiosity, courage, and integrity. Put simply, in a moment that was difficult, Rosa raised his hand and said a hard truth. Smith explained, “I’ll give you a hard job. And if you do it well, your reward will be a harder job.”

Acting with integrity, humility, courage, and curiosity can serve everyone—no matter their circumstance or profession. Whether being told to not assume one is special, to deliver on promises, to take advantage of opportunities (even the scary ones), to cultivate curiosity, or to always lend a helping hand, Intuitive’s 2024 Annual Commercial Meeting was one for the books.