--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here’s a current example of the challenge…" description: "\"Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. At the height of its power, the photography company Kodak employed more than 140,000 people and was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79d/jaron-lanier-2241_billions_here-s-a-current-example-of-the-challeng_1550595.png" --- # Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. At the… ![“Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. At the height of its power, the photography company Kodak employed more than 140,000 people and was worth $28 billion. They even invented the first digital camera. But today Kodak is bankrupt, and the new face of digital photography has become…” quote by Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79d/jaron-lanier-2241_billions_here-s-a-current-example-of-the-challeng_1550595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79d/jaron-lanier-2241_billions_here-s-a-current-example-of-the-challeng_1550595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79d/jaron-lanier-2241_billions_here-s-a-current-example-of-the-challeng_1550595.png) > “Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. At the height of its power, the photography company Kodak employed more than 140,000 people and was worth $28 billion. They even invented the first digital camera. But today Kodak is bankrupt, and the new face of digital photography has become Instagram. When Instagram was sold to Facebook for a billion dollars in 2012, it employed only thirteen people. Where did all those jobs disappear to? And what happened to the wealth that all those middle-class jobs created?” [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote illustrates how rapid technological change can render massive industries obsolete, displacing jobs and wealth. **In simple terms:** Tech change can wipe out big companies and jobs. Key Takeaway Adapt to change, diversify skills. Themes technology economy disruption employment wealth innovation Mood cautious reflective Type analytical warning When to use this quote - career planning - investment strategy - policy making - education reform - entrepreneurship Key Concepts creative destruction market cycles digital transformation Questions to Reflect On - How can societies better transition workers from declining industries? - What policies can preserve wealth distribution during tech shifts? A Different Perspective It overlooks that new jobs and wealth can be created elsewhere, not just lost. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Billions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billions/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Challenges we face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges-we-face/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Company Kodak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company-kodak-1144820/) [Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Digital cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-cameras/) [Digital photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-photography/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Employed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employed/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Instagram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instagram/) [Instagram Sold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instagram-sold-4258256/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Kodak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kodak/) [Kodak Bankrupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kodak-bankrupt-4258255/) [Kodak Employed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kodak-employed-4258254/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [New faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-faces/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Kodak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-kodak-4258257/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. At the height of its power, the photography company Kodak employed more than 140,000 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/here-s-a-current-example-of-the-challenge-we-face-at-the-height-of/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Philologically, the word Kodak is as meaningless as a child's first goo. Terse, abrupt to the point of rudeness, literally bitten off by firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eastman/philologically-the-word-kodak-is-as-meaningless-as-a-child-s-first/) [George Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eastman/) > [In 2009, I went to Cannes with a short film in the Kodak emerging program at the American Pavilion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-coogler/in-2009-i-went-to-cannes-with-a-short-film-in-the-kodak-emerging/) [Ryan Coogler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-coogler/) > [Even a fellow with a camera has his favourite subjects, as we can see looking through the Kodak-albums of our friends. One amateur prefers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/even-a-fellow-with-a-camera-has-his-favourite-subjects-as-we-can-see/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [My protest against digital has been me saying, "What's going to happen to film?" The result is that Kodak is out of business. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/my-protest-against-digital-has-been-me-saying-what-s-going-to-happen/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [Bin Laden was very keen to point out to me that his forces had fought the Americans in Somalia. He also wanted to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/bin-laden-was-very-keen-to-point-out-to-me-that-his-forces-had-fought/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [ The \[Kodak is\] the only witness I have encountered in my long experience that I couldn't bribe. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-kodak-is-the-only-witness-i-have-encountered-in-my-long/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I cry at Kodak commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-ripley/i-cry-at-kodak-commercials/) [Alice Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-ripley/) > [I called it Kinko’s because of my nickname — because I had this really kinky hair. If you think about it, the first thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-orfalea/i-called-it-kinko-s-because-of-my-nickname-because-i-had-this-really/) [Paul Orfalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-orfalea/) > [I listen to Meek, Blac Youngsta, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Kodak, Lil Bibby of course.I listen to pretty much everybody I like different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-herb/i-listen-to-meek-blac-youngsta-playboi-carti-lil-uzi-vert-kodak-lil/) [Lil Herb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-herb/) > [I listen to Migos. I listen to Drake a lot. Also 21 Savage, Kodak Black, XXXTentacion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozuna/i-listen-to-migos-i-listen-to-drake-a-lot-also-21-savage-kodak-black/) [Ozuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozuna/) > [Previously, even in Egypt, men had not learned to see straight. They fumbled in the dark, and didn't quite know where they were, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/previously-even-in-egypt-men-had-not-learned-to-see-straight-they/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Almost any fool can paint an academy picture, and any imbecile can shoot off a Kodak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/almost-any-fool-can-paint-an-academy-picture-and-any-imbecile-can/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Kodak is hard. 'No Flockin' is an amazing song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle/kodak-is-hard-no-flockin-is-an-amazing-song/) [Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle/) > [Photojournalists know the horrors of war can only be exposed at close range. Kodak Film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/photojournalists-know-the-horrors-of-war-can-only-be-exposed-at-close/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) ## More by Jaron Lanier > [If we allow our self-congratulatory adoration of technology to distract us from our own contact with each other, then somehow the original agenda has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/if-we-allow-our-self-congratulatory-adoration-of-technology-to/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Style used to be an interaction between the human soul and tools that were limiting. In the digital era, it will have to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/style-used-to-be-an-interaction-between-the-human-soul-and-tools-that/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [We should talk about the ultimate cause of war. It's a question we should never stop asking, because if we do, there's a chance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/we-should-talk-about-the-ultimate-cause-of-war-it-s-a-question-we/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [There is nothing more gray, stultifying, or dreary than life lived inside the confines of a theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-is-nothing-more-gray-stultifying-or-dreary-than-life-lived/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“There are at least two ways to believe in the idea of quality. You can believe there's something ineffable going on within the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-are-at-least-two-ways-to-believe-in-the-idea-of-quality-you-can/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [An intelligent person feels guilty for downloading music without paying the musician, but they use this free-open-culture ideology to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/an-intelligent-person-feels-guilty-for-downloading-music-without/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“What these critics forget is that printing presses in themselves provide no guarantee of an enlightened outcome. People, not machines, made the Renaissance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/what-these-critics-forget-is-that-printing-presses-in-themselves/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [There were studies that asked people in different cultures to draw pictures of their enemies, and the pictures all looked remarkably the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-were-studies-that-asked-people-in-different-cultures-to-draw/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“Zombies are familiar characters in philosophical thought experiments. They are like people in every way except they have no internal experience… If there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/zombies-are-familiar-characters-in-philosophical-thought-experiments/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [We're losing track of the vastness of the potential for computer science. We really have to revive the beautiful intellectual joy of it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/we-re-losing-track-of-the-vastness-of-the-potential-for-computer/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Of all the things you can spend a lot of money on, the only things you expect to fail frequently are software and medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/of-all-the-things-you-can-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-the-only-things-you/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [ At the turn of the \[21st\] century it was really Sergey Brin at Google who just had the thought of, well, if we give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/at-the-turn-of-the-21st-century-it-was-really-sergey-brin-at-google/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [The mass culture of childhood right now is astonishingly technical. Little kids know their Unix path punctuation so they can get around the Web,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-mass-culture-of-childhood-right-now-is-astonishingly-technical/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Wal-Mart impoverished its own customer base. Google is facing exactly the same issue long-term, although not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/wal-mart-impoverished-its-own-customer-base-google-is-facing-exactly/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) [Explore all 173 Jaron Lanier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) ## More Billions quotes > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The universe is simmering down, like a giant stew left to cook for four billion years. Sooner or later we won’t be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bloch/the-universe-is-simmering-down-like-a-giant-stew-left-to-cook-for/) [Arthur Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bloch/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [If Jesus is the Son of God in human flesh, He's one of a kind of the 13 billions of people who have ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/if-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-in-human-flesh-he-s-one-of-a-kind-of-the/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The idea of spontaneous generation of life in its present form is therefore highly improbable even to the scale of the billions of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilya-prigogine/the-idea-of-spontaneous-generation-of-life-in-its-present-form-is/) [Ilya Prigogine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilya-prigogine/) > [To defy heredity is to defy billions of years, to defy the first cell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/to-defy-heredity-is-to-defy-billions-of-years-to-defy-the-first-cell/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 1,864 Billions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here’s a current example of the challenge we face. 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