How a 106-Year-Old Camera Brand Survived the Smartphone Era

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How a 106-Year-Old Camera Brand Survived the Smartphone Era

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In this milestone 50th episode of The Turnaround Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine how Leica Camera AG, founded in 1914 in Wetzlar, Germany, defied near-certain obsolescence when smartphone photography decimated the compact camera market. By the mid-2010s, Leica's camera sales had halved, and the company faced existential questions. But instead of retreating into nostalgia, Leica made a counterintuitive bet: partnering with Huawei in 2016 to co-engineer smartphone camera optics, then doubling down on its high-end rangefinder business, and finally opening its own Leica-branded retail stores in cities like Shanghai and New York. Today, Leica is profitable again, with 2025 revenues of roughly €500 million and a growing share of revenue from licensing and luxury-branded partnerships. Lucas and Luna walk through the three strategic moves that saved the company, the risks of betting on a Chinese smartphone maker at a time of geopolitical tension, and what any legacy business can learn from a 106-year-old brand that refused to become a museum piece. Includes a brief listener-supported segment that keeps the show ad-free. #LeicaCamera #CameraIndustry #SmartphonePhotography #Turnaround #LuxuryBrand #EuropeanBusiness #HuaweiPartnership #LicensingStrategy #RetailExpansion #LegacyCompany #BusinessSurvival #Restructuring #Recovery #Business #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TurnaroundPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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