Comparisons

A light look at how the world of business has changed (or hasn’t) over the decades…

Consumer choice

Then: “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.” – Henry Ford, industrialist (1922)

Now: (26 January 2025): Jaguar Land Rover bets $80m on bespoke paint services (Source: BBC News)

Market size

Then: “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers ” – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM (1943)

Now: Last year (2024), 245.36 million PCs were sold – PCs – statistics & facts | Statista (Source: Statista)

Attitudes to leadership

Then: “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” Coco Chanel, 1883-1971 Best Coco Chanel Quotes

Now: Colin Powell, 1937-2021: There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Colin Powell – Institute Success