It is interesting to note that groups of technologists within AT&T were accurately forecasting the future. A few groups formed to deal with new developments and even attempted to influence the decision makers. Probably the most interesting was ODD *- I wasn’t directly associated with it, but know most of its former members.
A friend who happens to be one of the ODDsters, Amy Muller, co-authored a brief history on the group and AT&T’s strategic failure. (pdf) read it
Interesting Reading… Via Lessig