What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
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Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#2As recently as 2009, Nokia was estimated by Interbrand to be one of the top 5 global brands [1]. Interbrand's guesstimate at the monetary value rated "Nokia" as being worth over two times as much as "Apple".
Just four years later, in 2013, Nokia had lost 80% of its value and Apple's brand was estimated to be worth about 13 times more.
Such a tremendous collapse for a global brand seems unprecedented. (And no, it wasn't Elop's fault because the landslide started before him.)
[1] http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/previou...
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#3Not huge, but a pretty big mistake would be Target's venture to, and disastrous failure in, Canada.
Almost everything that could go wrong did, and the whole story involves a lot of arrogance and inexperience.
It will definitely be a business school case study, at least here.
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#4Bank of America's decision to buy Countrywide during the financial crisis. BofA inherited some $50 billion of legal liability: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/banking/artic...
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#5Ironically Quoras own: let's publish anything a logged in user even thinks about clicking for everyone to see should be somewhere on that list shouldn't it?
Googles Google+ launch also comes to mind.
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#6How about Nestle killing babies?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé_boycott
Selling baby formula in the third world. What could go wrong.
Edit to add: this was a case study in Business 101 at my school.
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#7This one is easy: Decca recording turning down the Beatles.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles%27_Decca_auditio...
"We don't like their sound, and guitar groups are on the way out."
Sort of like Adidas turning down Michael Jordan for not being tall enough, except that Adidas is still in business.
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#8Blockbuster passing on the Netflix purchase...
Yahoo! passing on Google...
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#91. Yahoo not buying Google?
2. Yahoo rejecting the Microsoft offer?
Glad (1) didn't happen though. Pretty sure they'd have screwed it all up for everyone.
Re: What is the biggest mistake that a big company has made?
#10I'm a little surprised to see no mention of Osbourne computers. The name lives on with the Osbourne Effect:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_Computer_Corporation#T...
This is why, even today, big companies don't announce when a new product will be available until the last minute as to not cannibalize sales from the current production run.