History's Greatest Rivalries: Learning from Your Competition

“You get a show or a movie you're really dying to watch, and you end up staying up late at night, so we actually compete with sleep.” - Reed Hastings

At PeerView AI, we believe that competitors are often the greatest source of learning. While you may be opposed in the marketplace, their actions, innovations, and strategies push you to improve. In some ways, they are not just rivals—they are your greatest asset.

Take Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, for example. When asked about his competition, he didn’t just name other streaming services like Disney+ or HBO Max. He said that his greatest competition is sleep. The more the entire market improves, the bigger the opportunity for Netflix and its competitors. If he could magically snap his fingers to make Disney+ and Apple TV disappear, Netflix might gain market share in the short term. But in the long run, without competition, Netflix would stagnate and lose ground to other forms of entertainment—or simply to sleep.

In this new blog series, we’ll explore some of history’s greatest business rivalries. These are the clashes that shaped industries, created new products, and forced companies to redefine themselves. More importantly, they offer lessons that any business—large or small—can learn from.

Some of the rivalries we’ll cover include:

• Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi – A marketing battle for the ages.

• Apple vs. Microsoft – Innovation, branding, and the future of technology.

• Ford vs. Ferrari – Competition, speed, and the drive to win.

• Amazon vs. Walmart – The evolution of retail and e-commerce.

• McDonald's vs. Burger King – Differentiation in a crowded market.

Each post will break down what made these rivalries so fierce, what each side did to gain an edge, and what modern businesses can learn from them.

Competition isn’t just about winning—it’s about getting better. Stay tuned as we explore how some of the biggest rivalries in history shaped the business world and what insights you can apply to your own industry.