Technology—and the technology companies behind the greatest innovations of our day—have quite literally transformed the lives of the majority of the planet. Sadly, not all of the revolutionary innovations have survived with us to the present day, and there are plenty of examples of would-be tech breakthroughs missing the mark and wiping out hard as a result.
Today, we’re going to take a look at some of those to see what we can learn, so join us as we examine some of the most colossal tech company failures of the past ten years.
Every Time Google Has Launched A Social Network
Social media is big business, so it makes perfect sense that tech giant Google has wanted to get in on the game for years. Every one of their social network launches has been a failure.
Perhaps the most spectacular of these failures was Google+, the ill-fated venture launched in 2011. Now, it’s not like this misstep forced Google to call the Moorhead Law Group in Boulder, CO to file for bankruptcy or anything, but it was surprising to watch this hyped service completely shamble along with almost no users before completely crumbling.
The Fall Of Solyndra
Solar power may well be part of the future of energy production, but Solyndra, sadly, will not be a part of that future. Founded in 2005 by Christian M. Gronet, this company set out to create cylindrical solar panels in Fremont, CA, and employed more than 1,000 people at its height.
After a series of unfortunate events, Solyndra shut down in 2011 and filed for bankruptcy. In the fallout, they were sued by their former employees, raided by the FBI, and placed under investigation for fraud. Not the best way to end your business venture.
The Ill-Fated Facebook Phone
One would think that tech giants would know better than to dip their toes into pools where they aren’t welcome, but Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just couldn’t leave well enough alone when they decided that the Facebook Phone would be a great idea.
It wasn’t, of course, and their bid at producing hardware that would further lock down their control on information fell by the wayside after it was clear that nobody wanted to buy one.
The Exploding Samsung Phones
There are a great many examples of poorly manufactured hardware failing a company, but few as explosive as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 back in 2016. The model was all set to be Samsung’s most impressive flagship phone to date, but those hopes fell through when consumers started noticing that the batteries on this model had a tendency to explode.
Though Samsung did try to mitigate the issue, the continuous bad press from the exploding batteries, highlighted by one combustion that took place on an airline, forced the manufacturer to recall all those Note 7s. Samsung lost money on the venture, but thankfully they’re still around today and seem to have learned from their errors.
Theranos
With all the news coverage surrounding Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her trial for fraud, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard about the downfall of this once-lauded blood testing company. Turns out their supposedly revolutionary blood tests were little more than a sham, and the high hopes that Holmes was selling to investors was naught but hot air.