Why do top companies sometimes make stupid decisions?

[agkm800]

I often wonder why top companies sometimes make stupid decisions. The latest stupid decision that boggles my mind is made by Google.

It is being reported that Google Nexus One does not have multi-touch. WHY NOT??? However, the European version of the same Nexus One smartphone WILL have multi-touch. What's the logic behind that?

This is just AN example. I could list so many and I am sure you can make your own list, too.


Why do they make decisions that seem so obviously stupid?

 

[greygray]

They have their ways of doing things. Apple retaining the iPhone 3G's plastic back was deemed by many as stupid when announced and caused a rather large backlash here in the forums. Look how successful the 3GS is now despite the "stupid" move by Apple.

 

[maflynn]

The same argument was made by apple, top companies get to the top because they take risks. Sometimes those risks are successful, i.e., iPhone and sometimes they're not, i.e., the g4 cube.

I don't think google's decision to have its own phone is a mistake, but rather a good move. Whether its successful or not, only time will tell.

 

[miles01110]

Why do they make decisions that seem so obviously stupid?

Because what's "stupid" to you seems "genius" to others.

 

[0098386]

I'd imagine they're taking risks to get ahead in their markets. Something becomes either a well executed and calculated risk or a stupid decision based on its success alone. The iPod, the iPhone, the iMac could easily have been massive failures and we'd be claiming them as "stupid risks". Look at what people thought of such a terrible idea back then; https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/.

 

[callmemike20]

I'd imagine they're taking risks to get ahead in their markets. Something becomes either a well executed and calculated risk or a stupid decision based on its success alone. The iPod, the iPhone, the iMac could easily have been massive failures and we'd be claiming them as "stupid risks". Look at what people thought of such a terrible idea back then; https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/.

haha. I just read a lot of those comments. Funny to see how much people hate apple after a keynote when the product doesn't live up to all their expectations.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Companies make horrid decisions because they have corporate suites with no experience in the real world making choices and have no idea how it will affect others wether the customer or the employees who now have to live with this stupidity. Example for Me is H -- ---. Our company deals with them everyday they put in a new computer system that didnt work and now takes them 15 minutes to do what use to take them 1 minute to do because some corporate jerk wanted to look good to his boss. Or a freight system that just shows 1 pallet delivered. A pallet of one or a pallet of thousands? Just amazing to someone who has worked in the field all his life seeing this mindless stuff.

We got the same thing going on at our company with new software that doesnt work or even lets you get line totals when placing orders. Cant even check your purchase order totals until its saved. brilliant. They need to take these corporate ass kissers and put them in the hot seats. People with to much control and not enough real world experience making piss poor choices. Far as I can tell in our company no one has ever worked supply at all in any form or any level.

These power monger corporate ass kissers dont even have the sense to ask the folks who deal in real world how this will affect the company and its customers. They are simply report readers making mindless decisions. rant over.

 

[grassyeyes]

In my business, it seems that the top dogs of the company don't actually try out their new investments, products or layout ideas - it's only when they roll them out and get countless messages of how screwed up or faulty it is, that they realise their mistakes and spend goodness-knows how much recalling or correcting them. Then again I'm a jeweller, so this shouldn't really apply to electronic applications, although you do wonder sometimes.