How to thrive in the shadow of giants
Smaller companies are snapping at the heels of the tech titans
A COUPLE OF years ago Snap, the company behind Snapchat, a social-media app, came close to imitating the feature for which it was then famous: digital photos that self-destruct ten seconds after the recipient views them. Shortly after a headline-grabbing initial public offering in 2017, the firm faced a user revolt triggered by an unpopular redesign, falling rates after it started automatically auctioning ad space and an exodus of executives. Its shares dropped precipitously in value, at one point in late 2018 sinking below $5, less than a fifth of the price they fetched when the firm started trading.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “In the shadow of giants”
Business May 22nd 2021
From the May 22nd 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Business
Corporate America’s diversity wars are just getting started
Donald Trump’s attacks on DEI are causing huge headaches for bosses
What Elon Musk should learn from Larry Ellison
The founder of Oracle has demonstrated remarkable staying power
Football clubs are making more money than ever. Players not so much
For both teams and their top stars, it helps to have a brand
The allure of the company town
Lego, Corning and the survival of an old idea
From cribs to carriers, high-end baby products are in vogue
Demographic and technological changes are making infancy more expensive
No one gains from American tariffs on cars from Mexico and Canada
Donald Trump’s levy will hit his country’s carmakers hardest