The Infinite Game

Spanx, Sriracha, and GoPro
: Meg Prater, “9 Brands that Survive Without a Traditional
Marketing Budget,” HubSpot, July 17, 2017, 
blog.hubspot.com/marketing/brands-without-

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traditional-marketing-budget
.
Yet, within four years
: Rachel Rosmarin, “Apple’s Profit Soars on iPod Sales,” Forbes,
July 19, 2006, 
www.forbes.com/2006/07/19/apple-ipod-
earnings_cx_rr_0719apple.html#4e7d9a357f6c
.
Questioned about the iPhone
: Jay Yarrow, “Here’s What Steve Ballmer Thought about
the iPhone Five Years Ago,” Business Insider, June 29, 2012,
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-steve-ballmer-thought-about-the-iphone-five-
years-ago-2012-6
.
after just five years on the market
: Kurt Eichenwald, “Microsoft’s Lost Decade,”
Vanity Fair, August 2012, 
www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-
mojo-steve-ballmer
.
“In the last five years”
: Mary Jo Foley, “For Steve Ballmer, a Lasting Touch on
Microsoft,” Fortune, December 10, 2013, 
fortune.com/2013/12/10/for-steve-ballmer-a-
lasting-touch-on-microsoft
.
Microsoft became obsessed
: Matt Weinberger, “How Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Did
What Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates Couldn’t,” Business Insider, January 30, 2016,
www.businessinsider.com/satya-nadella-achieved-one-microsoft-vision-2016-1
.
“lean competition machine”
: Kurt Eichenwald, “Microsoft’s Lost Decade,” Vanity Fair,
July 24, 2012, 
www.vanityfair.com/news/business/2012/08/microsoft-lost-mojo-steve-
ballmer
.
According to a study by McKinsey
: Stéphane Garelli, “Why You Will Probably Live
Longer Than Most Big Companies,” IMD, December 2016, 
www.imd.org/research-
knowledge/articles/why-you-will-probably-live-longer-than-most-big-companies
;
www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-
insights/reflections-on-corporate-longevity
.