Abstract his study investigates the impact of digital innovation on cost uniqueness from the perspective of the principal-agent theory. Based on a sample of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2012 to 2022, this study finds that digital innovation can significantly inhibit cost uniqueness. Digital innovation inhibits cost uniqueness mainly through enhancing information quality, improving governance levels, and increasing investor attention. Both substantive and strategic digital innovation can effectively inhibit cost uniqueness, but the inhibiting effect of substantive digital innovation is more significant. Digital innovation mainly inhibits the cost uniqueness with negative deviation and excessive deviation, and can significantly increase cost uniqueness caused by competitive advantage motives. In companies with higher managerial power, performance pressure and competitive pressure, digital innovation is more significantly in inhibiting cost uniqueness. When government digital attention is higher and media digital attention is lower, digital innovation inhibits cost uniqueness more significantly. In addition, the inhibiting effect of digital innovation on cost uniqueness can significantly improve the level of new quality forces of firms.
