From Glory to Ruin: The Shocking Mistakes That Toppled 26 Major Companies Overnight
Ever wonder how a single bad call can make a giant business stumble like a clumsy giraffe on roller skates? Believe me, it happens—and then some. It’s wild to think one tiny decision can send a giant like Sears or BlackBerry tumbling from glory to “remember when?” territory. You know, the kind of missteps that make you chuckle and wince all at once. From ignoring the rise of online shopping to fumbles with leadership and missing the tech boat—these tales from the ‘Ask Reddit’ community are a treasure trove of cringe-worthy choices that cost companies dearly. So buckle up, because these stories aren’t just business lessons—they’re cautionary (and hilarious) tales of what not to do when you’re sitting on a goldmine. Ready to dive in and see where it all went sideways? <ahref="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1gacwyk/whatsingledecisionshavewrecked_successful/”>LEARN MORE.
Sometimes, one bad decision is all it takes to turn things completely upside down. While that is true in one’s personal life, too, it’s often the case with businesses, where one bad call can bring all processes to a halt.
Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community have discussed such terrible decisions, after one netizen asked about what made successful businesses take a big hit or even go under. Netizens covered a bunch of different examples, pointing out exactly what led to the fall of the enterprises, so if you’re curious to learn more about the whys and hows, scroll down to find their stories on the list below.
Sears discontinuing their catalog in the early 90s but not entering online sales until much later and long after Amazon took over what they gave up.
Haven’t seen it yet but GE making Jack Welch CEO. GE was one of the gold star companies of the US, EVERYBODY wanted to work at GE because you’d be set for life. They took care of their employees, made a ton of money, made good products, what more could you ask for? Then Jack Welch came in and started firing people left and right, eliminating product lines, getting into finance, worrying about the stock growth.
Fast forward to today where GE is now three separate companies: Healthcare, Energy, and Aviation. Jack Welch pretty much single handedly broke down a company that was started by Edison and made some of the greatest technological advancements in the last century. That man is the worst.
BlackBerry for letting their arrogance think that Apple or Google couldn’t challenge their majority in the smartphone market. Also, ignoring creating a smartphone without a physical keypad until it was way too late.
Two obvious cases come to mind:
1) Kodak (remember the film brand?) invented the digital camera in 1979 but did not pursue that line because they thought it would hurt film sales.
2) Blockbuster Video had an opportunity to merge with Netflix to manage online streaming content, but declined. Blockbuster was sure that video rental would never end.
I still laugh about tumblr’s decision to ban all adult content on their website…which was like 95% of their active user base.
“Our office is returning to in office 5 days a week to scare off talented introverts and attract psychopaths” -lots of companies with job posts today.
Delivering ‘shareholder value’. Boeing, Intel, Blizzard and Ubisoft to name a few. Companies need to deliver value for their customers instead, the shares and dividends will follow.
TVs in a quiet restaurant.
I can understand TVs in a sports bar, but for the love of spaghetti, leave them OUT of the restaurants!
I used to carry a [TV B Gone](https://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_main.php) until people started getting wise and disabled the remote input.
At one restaurant, on a date, there was music and conversation, and the TV in the corner droned along as everyone tried to ignore it. Then one guy got up and unplugged it, and the whole restaurant clapped!
Nokia embarking with Windows for their smartphones
Microsoft ruining everything they touched in order to get cool: Skype, Skype for Business, Hotmail, IE6, OneDrive, aQuantive, Danger Inc., Band, Bing, Bob, Groove Music, Cortana Speakers, Zune and so many others.
1) Sears saying they wouldn’t take Visa or Mastercard, only Discover. Never shopped there again.
Susan G Komen hired Karen Handel after her failed bid for GA gov on an anti abortion platform. Karen convinced the founder that defunding Planned Parenthood mammograms would increase donations from the right.
They didn’t realize how many of their donors were not conservatives. Massive PR debacle and wave of donors asking for refunds.
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