As times and technologies fade, so do companies. But while adapting is hard, many businesses can point to one singular decision that put them in the ground. See: Blockbuster refusing to go digital like Netflix. 

For example, Eastman Kodak is the company famous for inventing the digital camera. However, instead of continuing to pioneer the technology it fell back on what it knew, and completely missed the ball. While the company is still very much around, we'll never know what it could have been if it took itself "from negative to positive," so to speak.

Similarly, the Encyclopedia Britannica had the option to switch from print to digital and elected not to. Once they realized how shortsighted that move was, they decided to backtrack, but charged over a thousand dollars to maintain "exclusivity." Kind of a dumb move for a brand based on intelligence. At least they didn't outsource their shipping to Amazon, before going bankrupt at Amazon's feet. That's a fate that bestowed many a business on this list of 24 companies that were ruined by one bad decision.