Comment by superb-owl
4 years ago
Everyone seems to be focusing on the crazy assertion that the Roman Empire collapsed quickly. But what stood out to me was citing Blockbuster as a complex system. They didn't die because an interconnected web of dependencies started to rot, they died because their entire reason for existing disappeared.
It's an interesting topic but the examples included are really weak.
> they died because their entire reason for existing disappeared.
That's only true if you characterize Blockbusters reason to exist as "distributing videotapes/dvd via physical stores" rather than just "distributing media".
Netflix also began in the physical media space but was able to pivot to streaming, helped along by their pre-existing remote business model.
Blockbuster tried to get in on the streaming game but it was a behemoth that couldn't swiftly disentangle itself from its old business model, helped along by several bad bets. So, it limped along for years past it being needed until it disappeared practically overnight.
You might think that this outcome was inevitable but that just means you've already taken it as a given that hulking, complex enterprises can't shift their main operating principles on a dime given a massive change in conditions.
Very true! I'd be curious to learn why they failed to make the shift to digital. I imagine having to support hundreds of storefronts was a huge distraction.