Kodak invented the digital camera in 1975, then spent 30 years protecting film technology until bankruptcy in 2012. They literally invented the future and ignored it to death because their innovation echo chamber convinced them that incremental improvements to dying technology were revolutionary breakthroughs. That's not innovation—that's institutional insanity in a three-piece suit.

The Pathetic Pattern of Self-Deception

Companies gather their smartest people in conference rooms, congratulate each other on tiny tweaks, and convince themselves they're innovation leaders while their industry transforms around them.

One automotive company spent five years making their navigation system 10% faster while Tesla reimagined the entire driving experience. They held innovation celebrations for shaving 2 seconds off boot time while competitors made cars that updated themselves overnight and drove themselves around town.

Throughout the 1990s, Kodak celebrated faster film processing and better color reproduction. Meanwhile, the world went digital using technology Kodak invented. Their teams were so busy high-fiving over film improvements, they couldn't hear the funeral march for their entire industry.

Here's how echo chambers work: everyone has incentives to agree. Innovation teams want to justify their existence. Executives want good news. Board members want to believe strategy works. Challenging voices get silenced or ejected.

The really repulsive result? Echo chambers don't just miss innovations—they actively resist them. "That's not how we do things." "Our customers don't want that." The echo chamber becomes an isolation chamber protecting companies from progress.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

Todd Hagopian reveals Systematic Orthodoxy Smashing. Stop asking "how can we improve" and start asking "what if everyone is wrong."

You'll discover how Method cleaning products built a $100 million brand by questioning the orthodoxy that eco-friendly cleaners couldn't work as well as harsh chemicals.

You'll learn King Arthur Flour's Sequential Breakthrough Technique—breaking the "flour is a commodity" orthodoxy, then breaking "flour companies just sell flour" by adding expertise, recipes, and community. Each broken orthodoxy revealed new opportunities.

You'll also get the Seven Laws of Orthodoxy Smashing: hidden opportunities lie behind accepted beliefs, resistance increases with orthodoxy age, and small teams smash orthodoxies better than big ones.

Your Assignment

List five truths everyone in your industry accepts. Imagine a competitor who believes the opposite of each. What would they build? How would they win?

Visit https://stagnationassassins.com and Declare WAR on Stagnation.

About The Podcaster

Todd Hagopian has led five corporate transformations generating $2B+ in shareholder value. Author of The Unfair Advantage (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FV6QMWBX). Featured 30+ times on Forbes.com, Fox Business, and NPR.