Out of Focus: The Kodak Story

Published 1 June 2026

A couple weeks ago, I was talking to my eldest daughter about something I hadn’t thought of in a while: digital cameras. Not the camera on her phone, but an actual, early 2000s-style camera. The kind we all rushed to replace, but according to her, is re-emerging on social media as a funky way to take pictures.

So, I got thinking about the fact that technology doesn’t disappear as neatly as we might think. It lingers, it fades and sometimes, it comes back.

The re-emergence of the digital camera in the last few years makes Kodak’s collapse off the market even more tragic. If yesterday’s “obsolete” can become today’s trend, how does a company as dominant as Kodak disappear in the first place?

The irony increases when you realise that Steve Sasson, a Kodak engineer, was actually the first person to invent the digital camera in 1975. And at the time, Kodak dominated the markets, selling cameras, film and processing services. So with such an unstoppable presence and the latest technology, you’d assume that the giant would only grow even more. 

It didn’t turn out that way.

As the digital revolution heightened in the 2000s, Kodak leadership downplayed it and delayed the development of their own technology. They favoured stability over change and fostered a structure that was not built to reward or encourage disruptive innovation. 

This hesitancy allowed competitors like Sony and Nikon to take over.

Clinging onto their film based business model for too long cost Kodak their position in the market. By the time they’d accepted the transition as inevitable, it was too late, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

Embracing change and innovation isn’t always intuitive. But stifling it for too long can be detrimental. At EmpowerPath, I work with you to empower everyone to pursue new ideas. 

You don’t have to fear the disruption to the status quo. It can be exciting, especially when it’s a new opportunity to strengthen your business even more.

Which brings me back to that conversation with my daughter.

The same style of digital camera that Kodak helped pioneer (but failed to capitalise on) are finding their way back into people’s hands. 

Change doesn’t move in straight lines. Trends evolve, technology resurfaces and values shift. It can be easy to miss it if you’re too focused on protecting what already works.

EmpowerPath is designed to help businesses stay open to those shifts. Together, we create cultures that welcomes new ideas and explores innovation early, instead of reluctantly embracing it when it’s too late.

Disruption doesn’t have to be something you react to. It can be something you spot early, you’re ready for, and you lead.