It’s an old saying, but nonetheless often true, that a company cannot stand still, it will go one way or the other; could this be happening to Korean Giant Samsung? The South Korean firm could soon enter a sunset scenario that would see it follow other downturns. Just as the Roman and British empires rose and fell, technology companies too face inevitable phases of evolution and devolution. The rule applies to the likes of Sony, IBM and yes, even Samsung.

Sony, much like Samsung, initially entered the US market with relatively low-priced products such as its TR-72 transistor radio in the 1960s. The Japanese firm followed up its success with a series of blockbuster game-changing products: the Sony Walkman in 1979; the CD music format in 1982, in conjunction with Philips; and the DVD in 1995, to name just a few. Like Samsung televisions today, Sony TVs and electronics in the 1980s were heralded as the industry’s best and most cutting edge. But like IBM, Sony’s peak period was soon followed by a rapid sunset that began the following decade. Could this be happening to Samsung as well?