Those of us who were regulars at Blockbuster recall the night-and-weekend ritual of movie rentals—and the moment streaming made it obsolete. Fewer remember that Blockbuster actually sold its own demise: I bought my first Blu-Ray player there, which became my first streaming device. Blockbuster was investing in late fees and store layouts while the future of entertainment was passing right through its doors.
Today, CEOs are betting their careers on AI with the same confidence the once-great video rental giant Blockbuster had in late fees. The lesson isn’t just about missing a disruption. It’s about failing to read the signals in plain sight.
