Mass Extinction
Industry-wide disruption events where large fractions of companies fail rapidly - technology paradigm shifts, regulatory upheavals, financial crises.
Mass extinction is catastrophic: extinction rates spike to 10-100x background rates, and large fractions (>50-75%) of species disappear within geologically brief intervals. The 'Big Five' mass extinctions: End-Ordovician (~443 Ma, ~85% extinct), Late Devonian (~375 Ma, ~75% extinct), End-Permian (~252 Ma, ~96% extinct - worst ever), End-Triassic (~201 Ma, ~80% extinct), and End-Cretaceous/K-Pg (~66 Ma, ~76% extinct). Mass extinctions differ from background: taxonomic selectivity is reduced, geographic range matters more, body size becomes a liability, and recovery is slow (5-10 million years).
Business Application of Mass Extinction
Industry-wide disruption events where large fractions of companies fail rapidly - technology paradigm shifts, regulatory upheavals, financial crises. Competitive fitness from before the event doesn't predict survival.