Case law for strategy.
Strategy Precedent
A strategic decision is rarely new. Somebody made it before, committed something to it, and found out. These pages are that record: what was on the table, what the company chose, and what it returned — with every field sourced.
74%
of the 812 settled decisions in the corpus held
600 held114 reversed98 held in part48 too early to call
Held over settled: 812 records whose verdict is in, from forks between 1891–2026, with 48 still too early to call and counted in neither. This is what happened to the companies on record, not the odds for your decision. The corpus covers decisions documented well enough to verify, which skews toward companies that lasted long enough to be written about.
Every decision, by how often it held
93%The FlywheelWhat self-reinforcing loop compounds the advantage?17 on record91%The TurnaroundHow did they come back from near-death?44 on record89%Culture DoctrineWhat's the codified culture rule — and does it actually work?21 on record86%Ecosystem Lock-inHow do they keep customers inside the walls?15 on record85%The Money MachineHow does the money actually get made?57 on record82%Standards WarHow did they win — or lose — the fight to set the standard?12 on record81%The ForkWhen the path split, why this way and not the other?33 on record79%Distribution RebellionWhy bypass the channel everyone else relied on?14 on record78%The ReversalWhy publicly reverse a position they'd staked out?21 on record77%Founder DoctrineHow does ownership or control shape the strategy?26 on record76%Adjacency ExpansionWhy move from the core into the next thing over?105 on record76%Moat AnatomyWhat actually protects them once the playbook is visible?42 on record75%Asset-Light BetWhy own almost nothing and still scale?16 on record75%The Loss LeaderWhy sell something cheap — or at a loss — on purpose?18 on record74%Cannibalization ChoiceWhy kill their own cash cow before a rival could?60 on record73%The Cross-SubsidyWhich part of the business quietly funds the rest?12 on record71%The Pricing LensWhy has the pricing evolved the way it has?59 on record70%Crisis ResponseHow did they handle the defining crisis?71 on record65%Bet-the-CompanyWhy risk everything on a single move?24 on record64%Vertical-Integration BetWhy make it themselves instead of buying it?33 on record63%The CounterfactualWhy didn't they buy, build, or enter when they had the chance?53 on record62%Market-Entry GambitHow did they crack a market that was supposed to be hard?39 on record62%Succession QuestionWhat happens after the defining leader is gone?17 on record58%The FallWhy did a dominant company come apart?51 on record