BlackBerry lesson: Adapt or die in the internet age

It is not just the internet, it is the whole high-tech business. Wordstar, Wordperfect, Ashton-Tate, Lotus 1-2-3, Hayes, U.S Robitics, all market leaders in their time, all now distant memories. Knowing such names must age me. Few in their 20s will even have heard of them.

Same in any industry. Remember AMC, Zenith or the USFL?

Former BB CEOs did not learn from the Corel case; remaining arrogant and ignorant with the change of consumer habits and time and this is the end result.

Certainly an interesting article but I would change the conclusions slightly. Blackberry was an innovator of the smartphone for example. Apple and the rest simply improved on it, they didnt really invent all that much. Same with facebook and google. Facebook didnt invent something, just took what was already happening and made a better version. These are disruptors and disruptions are actually just shift wealth and success around, generate more wealth but because they dont really transform and innovate, their lives will be short. Blackberry failed not because it couldn't disrupt, The break things concept of Facebook is actually not a good thing. It failed because it could not innovate to something new and better. It also could not disrupt for short term gain. Facebook, google will survive because at some point they will actually invent something new of value. Facebook can no longer disrupt, in fact is already losing its luster as younger generations move to other services. If Facebook tried disruption now, it will fail. It needs to innovate. Blackberry could not innovate, so its gone.

Innovation is good, disruption though is not innovation. Doing the same thing a better way is not innovation. Innovation is something new.