When Disruption Destroys the Disruptor

Code Sprinting How Tech Shapes Winners · Jun 4, 2026 · 11m

Technology that creates competitive advantage can become obsolete faster than the winners can adapt. This episode examines three cautionary tales: how Blockbuster's investment in stores became a liability when streaming emerged, how Kodak invented digital photography but couldn't cannibalize film revenue, and how professional tennis players who dominated on clay struggled when equipment and court technology fundamentally changed the game's physics. We analyze the organizational psychology of defending an existing advantage rather than cannibalizing it, the specific decisions leaders made that…