Yahoo lacked a clear vision regarding the overall purpose of the company. They were not a search company, nor a tech company, but functioned primarily as a media company. Meanwhile, in 2002, Yahoo could have bought Google for $1 billion, while in 2006, Yahoo could have bought Facebook for $1.1 billion.
Debuting in 1986, “Howard the Duck” is considered one the worst comic book movies ever made. Howard is a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, rude duck who comes from another planet and is trapped on Earth. Surprisingly the movie also included sexual elements, which further confused the audience as to whether this talking duck from Marvel Comics was a kid’s movie or an adult movie.
In 1965, the compact Parker Jotter was introduced as a smaller pen intended for ladies’ smaller hands. However, there wasn’t a clear “female use case” to justify a separate product, while thinner pens were less comfortable for long writing for many users.
Launched 1981 and bankrupt in 1983, Osborne Computer was a pioneering maker of portable computers and struggled under heavy competition. Kaypro Computer had larger screens, Apple Computer had a large software library, and IBM’s PC was faster, more advanced, and offered a rapidly growing software library.
Introduced in 2014, social robot company Jibo burned through $73 million in funding. It’s downfall started in 2015 when Amazon unveiled Echo and priced it seventy-five percent less than Jibo.
Released in 1987, OS/2 seriously suffered from lack of device support, especially printer and display drivers. The Joint Development Agreement signed between IBM and Microsoft could not prevent the rift between the two companies from growing. The disagreements between IBM and Microsoft led to a situation where each thought it would be better off without the other and the famous divorce ensued. After the divorce, Microsoft almost immediately started pretending that OS/2 never existed, even though the OS/2 subsystem existed in Windows NT until version 5.0 in 1999.
On October 19 in 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22.6% losing $500 billion.
In 2004, Merck withdrew it’s painkiller Vioxx from the market. Vioxx caused thousands of avoidable premature deaths and over 100,000 heart attacks.
Shut down in 2001 after having raised $250 million, Kozmo was an online retailer that provided quick delivery of goods. Due to Kozmo’s $0 delivery fee and no minimum purchase requirement, it was difficult to build an efficient and profitable business.
In 1989, Pepsi A.M. was introduced to the breakfast market. It was a soda designed to provide a caffeine boost to consumers who preferred a carbonated drink over coffee or tea in the morning. The product was marketed with the tagline “The All-Night Cola,” suggesting it was perfect for those who had stayed up late and needed a pick-me-up in the morning. The initial reception of the product was not positive, and it failed to generate much interest among consumers.
