Traditional blue-chip companies need to be agile to prevent being eaten by hungry competitors. The article by Aaron Dignan discusses the system some of the fastest growing companies are operating to gain a competitive advantage against the traditional market leaders.

Tesla, the fastest-growing stock in the automotive industry, is run by a software engineer. Amazon has a market cap three times bigger than Target, even though it operates at a loss. Instagram, a company with only thirteen employees at the time, was acquired for a billion dollars just three months after Kodak filed for bankruptcy. These are technology companies doing extraordinary things. But there is a larger pattern here. The dominant players in video, music, retail, recruiting, and direct marketing are also companies that operate like tech startups. This phenomenon is spreading, and by the time it’s through, every category on the planet will be shaken up.