How a Titan Bigger Than IBM Collapsed: The Rise and Ruin of Allis-Chalmers

In the early 1950s, Allis-Chalmers was bigger than IBM. Larger than 3M and Coca-Cola combined. A titan of American industry with the tech, talent, and dominance to crush any competitor.

They had 30,000 employees. Eight decades of expertise. Innovations that made John Deere look outdated. They revolutionized farming, mining, power generation—then lost everything.

Not because of bad products.
Not because of foreign competition.
Because of something far more dangerous: the arrogance of success.

This documentary-style breakdown reveals how a company that once shaped America destroyed itself from the inside. From their brilliant early innovations to the fatal choices that spread them too thin, ignored the market, and blinded leadership to the storm that was coming.

You’ll learn:
• How Allis-Chalmers became a conglomerate before the word existed
• Why their early victories planted the seeds of collapse
• How John Deere’s discipline beat AC’s diversification
• Why timing, focus, and humility matter more than size
• How the 1980s farm crisis exposed every flaw AC tried to hide

This is the true story of how a giant fell—and why modern companies are making the exact same mistakes today.

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