If you were paying attention in your high school American history course, you likely understand something about the weight of U.S. Steel’s 114-year history. As the world’s first billion-dollar corporation, the producer of two-thirds of the country’s steel at its peak, and an early antitrust target, the company’s history is a thick thread in the fabric of American industry.
But the past cannot always predict the future. What worked a century ago will not always continue to work, and so the company once so ubiquitous it was simply referred to as “The Corporation” is going through a period of change. Increased foreign competition and a change in demand have drastically altered U.S. Steel’s outlook, leaving the company trying to quickly chart a new course and transform into its next phase.
