Nine Well-Known Digital Pivot Cases, plus Learnings from a Chewing Gum Case.

Slack is one of the most cited pivot cases. But also many succesful digital companies and platforms arised from a pivot, and they made use of different patterns. Did you know about these?

1. Slack (Side Project Pivot): Initially a gaming company called Tiny Speck, the team developed an internal communication tool to facilitate their work. This tool evolved into Slack, now a widely used business communication platform.
2. Instagram (Zoom In): Originally launched as Burbn, a check-in app that included gaming elements and a photo-sharing feature. The founders noticed that photo sharing was the most popular feature, so they pivoted and launched Instagram, solely focusing on photo-sharing.
3. Twitter (Customer Need Pivot): It started as Odeo, a network where people could find and subscribe to podcasts. However, when iTunes began taking over the podcasting platform, Odeo pivoted to a microblogging site, which became Twitter.
4. Pinterest (Zoom In): Started as Tote, a mobile shopping app. However, users were more interested in creating collections of their favorite items than actual purchasing. The founders pivoted to focus on this aspect, leading to the creation of Pinterest.
5. Shopify (Assets into Hub Pivot): Initially, Shopify was an online store for snowboarding equipment called Snowdevil. The founders, dissatisfied with existing e-commerce platforms, built their own, which eventually evolved into Shopify.
6. Android (Zoom Out Pivot): Before Google acquired it, Android Inc. was working on a camera platform. Post-acquisition, they shifted focus to creating a smartphone operating system, which became the Android OS.
7. YouTube (Zoom in Pivot): It started as a video dating site called “Tune In Hook Up.” The idea didn’t catch on, but the founders noticed users were uploading all sorts of videos, leading to the pivot to a general video sharing platform.
8. Netflix (Asset Light Model Pivot): Launched as a DVD rental service, Netflix pivoted to streaming, revolutionizing the way we consume movies and television shows online
9. PayPal (Zoom in Pivot): Started as Confinity, focusing on security software for handheld devices, but pivoted to become a leading online payment system focusing on money transfers.
10. … and Wrigley’s! (Side Project Pivot): Pivots not only happen in tech startup environments, and not only in the last 20 years: originally a soap and baking powder company, Wrigley’s pivoted to chewing gum production after discovering the gum, given as a promotional item, was more popular.