This case is set in mid-2019, when Qualcomm was struggling with unwanted take-over battles, fights with Apple and the Chinese government, and internal dissension on the board of directors. Ten years earlier Qualcomm was hailed as a monopoly on CDMA technologies and its derivatives, it appeared to be positioned to become the next dominant technology company in the tradition of Microsoft and Intel. But as the industry changed, Qualcomm’s competitive position seriously weakened. The purpose of the case is to explore central questions in strategy formulation: 1. how to build a long-term sustainable position based on technology; 2. how to design an IP strategy to lock-in customers for the long-run; 3. how to build a global standard and appropriate returns on that standard; and 4. how to respond when your historical business model starts to crumble.
Keywords: technology cycles; Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Intellectual Property; Technology; Standards; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Telecommunications Industry; Semiconductor Industry;
Citation:
Yoffie, David B., and Andrew S. Choi. "Qualcomm Inc., 2019." Harvard Business School Case 718-514, June 2018. (Revised August 2019.) View Details