There is a particular feeling when you read about a well-known company struggling.
Part of you is surprised. These are businesses with history, experience, resources and names that people recognise around the world. We tend to imagine that, somewhere along the way, reaching that size makes things more secure.
Then the news comes. Lower sales. Financial losses. Restructuring. Jobs affected.
For those of us running businesses and facing our own difficulties, the news feels close to home.
Behind the headlines
On 23 October 2026, Volvo Cars reported third-quarter revenue of SEK 66.9 billion, down from SEK 86.4 billion a year earlier, and an operating loss of SEK 5.6 billion. The company also announced measures expected to reduce approximately 2,500 jobs globally, citing difficult conditions in China and the United States.
Figures like these become headlines. But behind them are people dealing with the consequences: employees wondering about their future, teams adjusting their plans and leaders making decisions that carry real weight.
The scale may be very different from a smaller company. Still, the worry about what comes next can feel familiar.
The effort does not always show in the results
From the outside, a slowdown can look straightforward. Sales are down, so something must have gone wrong.
Inside a business, the picture is often harder to explain.
There may be months of work behind a product that has yet to find enough customers. Proposals followed up repeatedly. Improvements that customers never see. Plans delayed because the money or timing did not work out.
Sometimes there are mistakes to acknowledge and decisions to revisit. Sometimes market conditions change faster than a team can respond. Often, several things happen together.
We are also experiencing the uncertainty and pressure that come with keeping a business moving. We are still working through our own questions, reviewing decisions and trying to find a sustainable way forward.
That makes it difficult to look at another company’s struggles from a distance. We recognise something of the effort and uncertainty behind them.
A difficult period can hold more than one story
One detail in Volvo Cars’ sales announcement stood out: while total global sales declined in the third quarter, sales of its fully electric models increased by approximately 29%. The company also described its performance in Europe as resilient.
Those brighter areas do not remove the seriousness of the overall results. But they show how a business can experience progress and pressure at the same time.
That is something smaller teams may recognise too.
A product improves while revenue remains tight. A customer gives encouraging feedback while another project falls through. The team reaches an important milestone, then returns to worrying about the following month.
It can be difficult to know how to describe that period. There is progress, but there is also exhaustion. There is belief in the work, alongside questions about how long the business can sustain it.
Both deserve an honest place in the story.
Still building, still figuring things out
Working in technology means much of our time is spent solving problems. Yet running the business around that work brings questions that software alone cannot answer.
Building something useful takes time. Helping people discover it takes another kind of effort. Turning that interest into enough income to support a team is an ongoing challenge.
We continue to believe in the products and solutions we are developing. We also know that belief needs to be supported by customers, sound decisions and the ability to keep operating.
Some days, the next step feels clear. On others, it takes a conversation, a revised plan or the willingness to admit that an approach needs to change.
We are learning through that process ourselves.
Finding a way through
Reading about Volvo Cars does not give us a simple explanation for what every business is experiencing. Different companies face different circumstances, and the impact of difficult decisions is deeply personal to the people involved.
For us, it is a reminder to speak about business struggles with some care.
There is often more happening than a headline or a balance sheet can show. There are people who care about the work, who feel responsible for their teams and who are trying to make the next decision with the information they have.
We do not have a neat ending to offer. Our own story is still unfolding.
For now, we are continuing to build, listening more closely and working through what needs to change with hope for the work ahead and an honest awareness of how difficult this period can be.
References
- Volvo Cars. (23 October 2026). Volvo Cars Q3 2026: Taking decisive action to navigate a very tough environment. Read the official release
- Volvo Cars. (2 October 2026). Volvo Cars reports Q3 2026 sales. Read the official release
Sources: www.volvocars.com , www.volvocars.com
