Blockbuster took 7 years. Newspapers took 15. Coal took 15. Here's what that means for AI.

Everyone assumes AI will destroy industries overnight.

So we looked at every technology revolution that actually killed a major industry — streaming, digital cameras, online booking, e-commerce, mobile phones — and measured how long it took.

The answer surprised us.

The data says you have years, not months.

But you don't have decades.

• Blockbuster: 7 years from Netflix launch to bankruptcy

• Print newspaper ads: ~6 years to lose 50% of revenue

• Coal power: ~10 years to lose 50%, still declining

• Travel agencies: 8 years from online booking to mass closure

• Landline telephones: ~8 years to lose 50%, 15 years of decline

No major industry has ever lost more than 50% of its value in under 4 years from technology disruption alone.

Individual companies can die in days. Industries die in years. The question is which industries are on the clock — and how much time you actually have.

Full analysis with 10 historical cases, the 5 structural reasons decline is always slower than growth, and what it means for AI timing:
Read: Every Tech Revolution Killed an Industry. None Did It in Under 4 Years.

— Scott Covert,
    AI Stock Market Impacts

Educational analysis, not investment advice.
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