For example, because mobile phones in the early 80s were bulky and expensive to use, renowned consulting firm McKinsey & Company advised AT&T not to enter the mobile telephone business, predicting there would be fewer than one million cellular phones in use by 2000. In fact, by 2000, there were one hundred million mobile phones. Not only was McKinsey’s prediction off by 99 percent, its recommendation also resulted in AT&T missing out on one of the biggest business opportunities of modern times.
