“We Are Not a Software Development Company!”—Think Again

How many times have we heard this?

• “We manufacture physical products, not software.”

• “We’re a food company, not a tech company.”

• “We make [insert industry here], we’re not in the business of software development.”

The reality? Every company today is a technology company.

The Technology Running Your Business

One of my clients makes top brand professional league athletic shoes and apparel. Their operational value stream is focused on producing and delivering shoes and apparel to market, but look deeper, and you’ll see that nearly every step in the process depends on software and technology:

• Manufacturing equipment? Runs on software.

• Automated quality control systems? Software-driven.

• Data analytics? Powered by software.

• Supply chain and logistics? Technology-dependent.

In short, there is no modern manufacturing without software.

This isn’t unique to any one sector. Nearly every industry—from automotive to consumer goods—relies on technology as the backbone of operations.

The Real Reason Companies Fail

Look at Blockbuster, Kodak, Toys-R-Us, Yahoo, MySpace, Polaroid, BlackBerry, Borders Books—companies that once dominated their markets. What happened?

They didn’t fail because of bad products. They failed because they didn’t pivot fast enough to leverage technology and adapt to changing customer expectations.

Blockbuster ignored the rise of streaming.

Kodak sat on digital photography technology but clung to film.

BlackBerry failed to evolve its mobile ecosystem.

Their downfall wasn’t about hardware—it was about software.

AI: The Next Evolution of Technology

Fast forward to today: if companies are not exploring AI, they are already falling behind.

AI is not just hype—it’s reshaping industries:

• Automating operations in manufacturing and supply chains

• Predicting demand to optimize production

• Enhancing drug discovery in pharmaceuticals

• Improving customer experiences through intelligent systems.

Companies that fail to adopt AI will suffer the same fate as those that ignored digital transformation in the past.

Good Software Development Still Matters—Even If You’re Not Selling Software

Even if a company doesn’t sell software, good software development and delivery approaches still apply.

Think about it:

• Most companies have IT and Tech departments supporting business operations.

• Agile, DevOps, and Lean principles improve efficiency across all industries.

• Software and automation drive cost savings, scalability, and innovation.

So when leaders say, “We are not a software development company,” the real response should be:

• “You may not sell software, but your business runs on it.”

• “You may not think you’re in tech, but your competition does.”

• “Your survival depends on how well you embrace technology—whether you build it or buy it.”

The Bottom Line

In today’s world, every company is a technology company that happens to make [insert product here].

The companies that understand this reality and invest in digital transformation and modern software product development and delivery will lead the future. The ones that don’t? Well, we’ve seen what happens.

The question isn’t whether you’re a software development company. The question is whether you’ll survive if you don’t start thinking like one.

#fail #productdevelopment #software