[menacingly]

Well, here we have a great historical example of someone in the real world not deciding to work against their own interests, despite our impotent insistence that they do so. Since countless other examples of that happening are a few seconds' google away, maybe it doesn't work?

[mikeash]

My point is that disrupting yourself before others can disrupt you is working towards your own interests. Most companies don't have what it takes to pull it off, but that doesn't change the fact that they should be doing it.

[Gravityloss]

For example, the premier piston engine maker Pratt & Whitney started developing jet engines, with a late start compared to the Brits and the Germans, or even the steam turbine maker General Electric, but they nevertheless became very successful in it.

I think what was needed for the drastic change was, first, the threat of competition, and second, applicability of at least some portion of current skills and assets.

Could oil companies or coal power plant operators work outside fossil fuels? I guess oil companies could still do solar or wind projects because they have project management, engineering and offshore knowhow etc, often in challenging countries. They could also develop alternative fuel refining and distribution. They also have good investor relations. I think BP at least attempted something like this.

Coal plant operators could operate many other kind of power plants too.