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posted by Fnord666 on Monday November 25 2019, @08:32AM   Printer-friendly
from the the-times-they-are-a-changing dept.

In defense of Kodak and its 'failure' to innovate:

Kodak has been the ultimate bogeyman of MBA programs. You've heard the story. The company held an unassailable position in one the world's largest markets. It had a deep, lasting brand with consumers and professionals along with a high-margin recurring revenue stream.

But it failed to fully understand the impact of emerging technologies. It couldn't get its 100+ year-old self to pivot in time. It didn't cross the chasm and cannonballed deep into the abyss.

You could build a small mountain out of the airport books that regurgitate this horror story.

It's also not exactly true. With established companies facing competition and upstarts claiming to have the upper hand through disruption, now is a good time to re-examine the myth:

  1. Kodak faced a transition few, if any, companies could have made
  2. But it could have been a brand!
  3. But it didn't invest in innovation!
  4. But now there's nothing left!

[Note - This story comes from TheNextWeb's Podium section which is described as "Opinion, advice, and analysis by the TNW community". -- Ed.]


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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 25 2019, @02:43PM (2 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 25 2019, @02:43PM (#924526) Journal

    Hey MBAs: Microsoft.

    Microsoft almost missed the intarweb tubes in 1995. Just in time, they realized the mistake and with massive effort turned the supertanker.

    Microsoft totally missed the smartphone and mobile device revolution.

    Both of the above are by being totally fixated on their desktop monopoly. Seeing every computing device through desktop OS glasses. Microsoft's early vision of a tablet was Desktop Windows.

    I can just imagine: Windows Smart Watches and fitness trackers. Windows thermostats, security cameras, set top boxes, digital cameras, microcontrollers, etc.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @11:44PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @11:44PM (#924697)

    It's amazing Microsoft survived so many failures. They lucked out in that they found demand in medium and large businesses, as IBM, Novel, HP, and Oracle stumbled there. I guess the lesson is have your fingers in enough pies to survive a few landing in your face. [youtube.com]

    I don't know what Kodak could have branched out into. Camera making tends to shift to low wage countries. Automated lens making? They did survive as a (small) chemical processing company, so perhaps they should have tried to go head to head with Dow Chemical.

    • (Score: 2) by Fluffeh on Wednesday November 27 2019, @02:39AM

      by Fluffeh (954) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 27 2019, @02:39AM (#925212) Journal

      Kodak had the lead in digital cameras. They were looking and making digital cameras before anyone else was. Then they stopped and went on with making film. Everyone else then made digital cameras and stopped buying film.

      All they had to do was use their name and pivot to a digital platform.