How the Leica Family Defied Digital Disruption to Keep the Camera Business in the Family

In this episode of Family Business Stories with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the Leica Camera family — the Leitz family — navigated the digital photography revolution when every competitor was abandoning film. They dive into the 2004 crisis when Leica was hours from bankruptcy, how the family ceded control to a non-family CEO but kept ownership, and the 2012 decision to double down on the M-series rangefinder while Canon and Nikon went mirrorless. With specific numbers: Leica's market share in 2000 versus today, the 2005 rescue loan from the state of Hesse, and how a 160-year-old optics company now sells $8,000 cameras to millennials. A masterclass in knowing what your brand actually means — and what it doesn't. #Leica #LeitzFamily #FamilyBusiness #Photography #GermanEngineering #DigitalDisruption #CameraIndustry #Succession #Legacy #BusinessStrategy #LuxuryGoods #BrandIdentity #Optics #Wetzlar #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #FamilyBusinessStories Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo