what is an inflection point 
an inflection point is an event that results in a significant change in the progress of a company industry sector economy or geopolitical situation and can be considered a turning point after which a dramatic change with either positive or negative results is expected to result companies industries sectors and economies are dynamic and constantly evolving inflection points are more significant than the small day to day progress typically made and the effects of the change are often well known and widespread understanding an inflection pointbased on mathematical charting models the inflection point is where the direction of a curve changes in response to an event to qualify the shift must be noticeable or decisive and attributed to a particular cause this principle can be applied to a variety of economic business and financial information such as shifts in the gross domestic product gdp or changes in security prices but it is not used in reference to normal market fluctuations that are not the result of an event andy grove intel s co founder described a strategic inflection point as an event that changes the way we think and act 1inflection points can be a result of action taken by a company or through actions taken by another entity that has a direct impact on the company additionally inflection points may be caused by an unintentional action or an unforeseen event special considerationsregulatory changes for instance could lead to an inflection point for a corporation that was previously held back by regulatory compliance issues inflection points in technology include the advent of the internet and smartphones politically an inflection point can be illustrated by the fall of the berlin wall or the fall of communism in poland and other eastern bloc countries certain unforeseen events can include major economic downturns such as the financial crisis of 2008 or natural disasters that affect a particular business or industry in a meaningful way in this regard an inflection point may not be identifiable until after the event has occurred and a change in direction has been subsequently noted real world example