Stuff You Should Know 10ish Worst Business Decisions Ever
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Sep 19, 2023 Dive into the hilariously disastrous world of bad business decisions! From Kodak’s failure to adapt to technology to JCPenney’s pricing blunder, learn how these missteps reshaped companies. Explore the fierce Cola Wars and the flop of New Coke, along with Blockbuster's nostalgic decline against Netflix. Through humorous anecdotes and insights, discover the lessons hidden in these corporate train wrecks while reflecting on how history continually repeats itself in the business realm.
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Western Union Misses the Phone
- Western Union declined Alexander Graham Bell's telephone for $100,000.
- Bell's patents became the most valuable ever, forming a successful phone company.
Hindsight is 20/20
- Hindsight is 20/20 in business decisions.
- Bell's telephone was initially designed for one-way communication, making Western Union's refusal less absurd.
Excite and Google
- Excite declined to buy Google in 1999 for $750,000.
- Excite, prioritizing its own search engine and portal model, missed Google's potential.