Kodak Implosion Sparks a Revolution

[tomegee55]

The ONLY reason these buildings were demolished is this:

The Kodak Park site is over 125 years old, and has many buildings which were no longer being used. Kodak has to pay taxes on these existing structures.

To reduce their tax burden and free this space to be better utilized, Kodak demolished well over 100 buildings within the Kodak Park complex.

Not wasteful - just good business.

[Todd82TA]

@tomegee55 Totally understandable, but still sad to see.

[tomegee55]

I worked in this building for over 25 years.

I have NO hard feelings towards Kodak for their having to downsize the Paper Finishing Division (which was housed in Building 9), and consolidate it out in Colorado.

It was based solely on the fact that, due to the exponential growth of the digital photography market, customers no longer had to get prints of all the photos they'd taken; pictures could be viewed and stored digitally.

Fewer prints = less paper. It's as simple as that.

[watchdog68]

Ever since Kay Whitmore left, Kodak became a corporation of greed and back stabbing from filthy pigs like George Fisher and his cronies. The department I worked in was outsourced to China and Mexico in 2003, resulting in the displacement of 400 employees.

If George Eastman could come back from the grave to witness what has happened to Kodak, he would kill himself all over again.

[peanutbutterisfu]

i live right next to the buildings they took down,i thought world war3 was starting,it was so loud and my bed was shaking,and one window blew out.i know kodak isnt the best but i buy there stuff but i live here and eveytime they have laid people off the whole town feels it,people use to have money here not no more

[wandaslice]

Kodak Cameras are horrible they use really bad lenses i have a 12 mega pixel kodak and a 7 mega pixel canon and the canon takes way better shots

[thouston314159]

Celebrating going out of business? Blowing up one of their building in NY? Ah, bring back Kodachrome please be fore you go completely under. Thanks. BTW - In 1969 Kodak employed 145K people. Today that number is 22K. Hello, is this thing on???

[triac1964]

Revolution???

A bunch of P.T. Barnum quotes is what leaps into my mind, and I would say Kodak is counting on having alot of P.T.'s customer base in the future.

Kodak is famous for screwing up a one car funeral procession...good ridance. The business is back in competent hands now. Good luck in your window covering endeavor (See Qualex).

[MEC316]

you people wonder why it's coming down

kodak can't compete with japanese digital cameras

[wvuproducer]

sorry buddy... check out the digital camera market... you'll see Kodak is actually the #2 seller of cameras not only in the USA but worldwide... they own the Chinese market too.

[MEC316]

uhh source?

[MEC316]

oh and you seem to be forgetting that this hapeens ALL the time in other industries. Not just kodak.

[brofkand]

They may be a large seller, but by and large their digital products make very, very little profit. If any. Digital anything is pretty much a cutthroat market. They release 50 digital cameras in a year, probably just OEMed and never even seen in Rochester until a few weeks before they're shipped to Wal-Marts across the world.

The vast majority of Kodak's profits come from film. I mean vast majority. If they stopped making film, the company would be dead in two years tops.

[Polybun]

Gee, thanks for abandoning us kodak. no more kodachrome folks.

[tradercris]

Shame about Kodak...going the way of the Buffalo...Rochester will be back...all it lost it shall regain...when AZ, NV & Sou Cal among other places run out of water.

[Jesusopmartyr]

an implosion--like the stinking company. it has to be the worst conpany of a large size the past 130 years. how many people have they ruined or laid off the past 10 years--some 115,000 and kodsmack still makes junk that nobody wants....they will not be around in 8 years --gone like american motors....and american motors was a better company... their leaders at kodak invent junk nobody buys--why cannot they ever be modern--they stink. Buy Fuji or Agfa or Konica--they are better.

[Polybun]

junk nobody wants? Myself, i still want kodachrome, I still want kodak's papers, I still want HC-110. There aren't any suitable replacments for any of those.

[tacotony24]

Kodak is one of the very few remaining American companies making digital cameras yet this pathetic company is outsold and outperformed by its Japanese competitors such as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Casio, and Fuji.

[oblivionwindow]

Who cares how long you stay with a company-just be treated fairly. No , you are wrong, those people would have not lost their jobs any place else. Why has Microsoft and others grown since 1997. They have what people want-not Kodak. Kodak fell off the Dow 4 plus years ago and WILL NEVER be back! Cronos would never buy them. Get off your fanny, namecaller, make some money of real value and then talk.

[oblivionwindow]

Excuse me-a $1 million investment in 1997 has lost $770,000.00 while the dollar has faded! Only 30% of America works for companies over 500 people, state, federal and local gov't. The other 70% is smaller business. All Kodak has become is a bad investment with personal experiences with their products and customer service--worst I dealt with. I tossed 2 digital cameras made by Kodak. The other brands work fine. The only companies I Like are those of stocks that performed well.

[oblivionwindow]

Yes the world moved on to companies that perform and have products people want. Why has Microsoft,Dell and others done so well the past 10 years and Kodak fail miserably? If you put $1 million into Kodak stock in 1997, it would be worth 230,000 today. That means you lost $670,000.00 and the dollar has lost value since 1997. It was so bad that a$1 million investment was down to $184,000 a short time ago. Legg Mason dumps Kodak!

[oblivionwindow]

I would and did buy a Durabrand Stereo 8 years ago over a sony. My Sony had broken down. My Durabrand is still going. As long as the price is right and consumer report is okay-done! Kodak ruined careers of young people too... maybe because of race,weight, disability, gender...just check all the discrimination charges if you google and put in Kodak Discrimination. Go to YouTube and enter Kodak Job.

[legalzoo]

Sounds like somebody's for Kodak. Kodak brand used to be huge, that is a fact. It's not so huge anymore. You cannot relate until you walk in another's shoes. Try to be African American, a women who had stage 4 breast cancer, age 55 , not as thin as people want - discover the issues in trying to get a job. You may be too young to have worked to a high level, 90 hours a week for many years and then be let go. You are not a moron when you keep telling your co-workers "go digital" and they refuse.

[oblivionwindow]

Kodak thinks their brand name matters. No it does not to the average 30 or 35 year old or younger. People do not know how to spell kodek.Kodak ruined over 110,000 careers or so in 9 years and is a dumb company that was never prepared for anything coming down the line. Upper management is asleep.See how they manage by viewing Youtube and search Kodak Job-see what comes up. Kodak Discrimination internally is alive and well. They just look for ways to get rid of people.

[rorytmeadows]

A revolution of what? Shit industry in Rochester, NY? When's the next Kodak revolution? The next round of layoffs?

[csmgj]

Only Rochester could celebrate the destruction of local jobs. But I guess imploding is better than just fading away.

[interfaceguru]

Hardly a celebration of losing local jobs. It might be a celebration that they were able to save as many of them as they have... Times changed. Digital means less photo printing, which means fewer people employed to do make such products...  The good times lasted for more than 100 years - not a bad run...

[interfaceguru]

Actually, not well at all. Not sure whether they have yet, but they were scheduled to close the 35mm coating facility and have announced a number of layoffs...  Just do a search on Google for "SC Fuji Layoffs"...

Times have changed...

[senhorguitar1111]

This is sick, just plain sick...what is cool about destroying resources, ignoring peoples hearts and beleiving your own propaganda...This should have been done with quiet dignity, and privately, with some class if it had to be done. Sick...the management of Kodak is getting scary

[MaestraEva]

What a great way to make pollution! We need more dirty air.

[kira2008]

Pollution is caused by carbon monoxide not dirt

[kantucky]

So, are they like moving the jobs to Mexico and want us to celebrate it?

[TimandHolly]

You are so right!

[interfaceguru]

Not really. Digital just requires fewer employees. One of the benefits of digital is that it requires you to print fewer pictures. Fewer photos means less film and paper. Seems difficult to justify employing folks to make a product nobody wants... Sure some of what is left is going oversees, but that is because folks here are only as loyal as the lowest price...

[strass6]

Yeah but they dont tell you how many jobs they have alos blown away with absolutly no feeling either!!!!!!

[Super8Alex]

Aren't you supposed to make your competitor blow-up their buildings instead?

[retrop75]

Cool!  Just like WTC 1 and 2!

[amghashadenough]

You absolute moron. I was in NYC when that tragedy hit. Who thinks it is cool to make fun of 3000 innocents being crushed and burned alive, their families and dreams and futures up in smoke in the name of rampant fantacism? You schmuck. Burn in hell.

[antisocialam05]

wow. i Live right there.. and I missed it :[

[BlackMageMOMO]

i wish i could have seen it

[turbotubesteak]

Who's the jerk-off at the end who says boo-ya ? What a fucking idiot !

[interfaceguru]

Actually, that was a bit of an inside joke. He works for a marketing firm. Search on 'Kodak' - the first video should explain 'why' this was funny.

[interfaceguru]

Searching on 'kodak - winds of change' might help. Here is the designator:Sz6XjXu-oT8

[diner3x]

The coolest shot is the one from the top of the building. It looks like its rolling - and ROCKS!

[polkadottedmoi]

Who is that commentator? He is awesome!!!

[justice247365]

Hahahahahaha.... samurai1200's mom makes sucky kids.

[BooMedia]

Yeah they do. But they did revolutionize photography in general.

[samurai1200]

Hahahahahahahaha.... kodak makes sucky cameras.

[soccerfamilys]

Way cool!