---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every company should work hard to…"
description: "\"Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product line - before its competitors do.\" — Philip Kotler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg"
---

#  Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product…

![“Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product line - before its competitors do.” quote by Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg)

> “Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product line - before its competitors do.”

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Companies should proactively replace their own products before competitors do, driving innovation.

**In simple terms:** Self‑replacement prevents being outpaced.

Key Takeaway

Innovate before rivals.

Themes

business innovation strategy

Mood

strategic forward‑looking

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- product development
- market analysis
- R&amp;D planning

Key Concepts

product lifecycle disruption competition

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it optimal to retire a product?
- How to balance innovation with existing revenue?

A Different Perspective

Risk of cannibalizing profitable lines.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolete/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/)

## Related quotes

> [No amount of artificial protection can permanently maintain an obsolete product, an inferior process or a moribund organization against competitors which are based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-taylor-compton/no-amount-of-artificial-protection-can-permanently-maintain-an/)

[Karl Taylor Compton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-taylor-compton/)

> [Some people can take a step back and let other people do the work for them, but that's not in my nature. For my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/some-people-can-take-a-step-back-and-let-other-people-do-the-work-for/)

[Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/)

> [“You should always use the same product line on your skin that is used in the spa where you work (If appropriate for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-riley/you-should-always-use-the-same-product-line-on-your-skin-that-is-used/)

Grace Riley

> [Somewhere out there is a bullet with your company's name on it. Somewhere out there is a competitor, unborn and unknown, that will render…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/somewhere-out-there-is-a-bullet-with-your-company-s-name-on-it/)

[Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/)

> [Management must take the lead in making obsolete its own products and services rather than waiting for a competitor to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/management-must-take-the-lead-in-making-obsolete-its-own-products-and/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [I admire firms that have achieved a real differentiation from their competitors. Nike is all about mastering sports. Apple is all about creating technologies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/i-admire-firms-that-have-achieved-a-real-differentiation-from-their/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Strategy is indeed about choosing what not to do as well as what to do. A business unit needs to decide what need it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/strategy-is-indeed-about-choosing-what-not-to-do-as-well-as-what-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Poor firms ignore their competitors; average firms copy their competitors; winning firms lead their competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/poor-firms-ignore-their-competitors-average-firms-copy-their/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [I believe in the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits. I would make sure to hire the best people and pay them more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/i-believe-in-the-triple-bottom-line-people-planet-and-profits-i-would/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Politics is an obsolete way of doing things. Although it was good a hundred years ago, it has no place in today's high tech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/politics-is-an-obsolete-way-of-doing-things-although-it-was-good-a/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/)

Will Advise

> [Saying women aren't funny is now like saying Asians can't drive or saying black people have bad credit. It's just really, like, so obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-cummings/saying-women-aren-t-funny-is-now-like-saying-asians-can-t-drive-or/)

[Whitney Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-cummings/)

> [It's essential that we learn how to defend the Bible and the Christian faith for our sake and our children's. If we don't, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/it-s-essential-that-we-learn-how-to-defend-the-bible-and-the/)

[Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/)

> [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/)

[Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/)

> [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

## More by Philip Kotler

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [The internet will create the winnerand bury the laggards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-internet-will-create-the-winnerand-bury-the-laggards/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [There is no such thing as a commodity. It is simply a product waiting to be differentiated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-commodity-it-is-simply-a-product-waiting/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Don’t buy market share. Figure out how to earn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/don-t-buy-market-share-figure-out-how-to-earn-it/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [The future isn’t ahead of us. It has already happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-future-isn-t-ahead-of-us-it-has-already-happened/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Marketing is the set of human activities directed at facilitating and consummating exchanges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/marketing-is-the-set-of-human-activities-directed-at-facilitating-and/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Curiosity is the starting point for great science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/curiosity-is-the-starting-point-for-great-science/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [There is much work to do to protect forests from over-timbering and oceans and lakes from over-fishing. We need to encourage and reward companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/there-is-much-work-to-do-to-protect-forests-from-over-timbering-and/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Great insight comes from seeing something as odd and finding out why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/great-insight-comes-from-seeing-something-as-odd-and-finding-out-why/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [CEOs need to produce continuous growth in sales and profits. Yet they must also invest in sustainability and social responsibility, which then leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/ceos-need-to-produce-continuous-growth-in-sales-and-profits-yet-they/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Requiring the payment of higher wages will lead to a loss of some jobs and a raising of prices which drives companies to search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/requiring-the-payment-of-higher-wages-will-lead-to-a-loss-of-some/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Republicans talk loudly about freedom and yet are against a women deciding what's best for her own body and are against the freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/republicans-talk-loudly-about-freedom-and-yet-are-against-a-women/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/marketing-is-not-the-art-of-finding-clever-ways-to-dispose-of-what/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Thomas Edison had great visions (for lights, music players, movies, etc.) but he knew they didn't count until he could make them work. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/thomas-edison-had-great-visions-for-lights-music-players-movies-etc/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [A country's middle class is its bedrock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/a-country-s-middle-class-is-its-bedrock/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

[Explore all 82 Philip Kotler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product line - before its competitors do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Kotler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsolete-its-own-product-line/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsolete-its-own-product-line/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/philip-kotler-8278_business_every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsole_1415144.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every company should work hard to obsolete its own product line - before its competitors do.” — Philip Kotler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Kotler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every company should work hard to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsolete-its-own-product-line/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/every-company-should-work-hard-to-obsolete-its-own-product-line/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
