The 10 Biggest Business Moves of 2020

Extreme times tend to bring out the best and worst in business — and this year had plenty of both

Illustration: Shira Inbar

If you’re having a hard time remembering what exactly happened during the blur of the last 10 months, we’re with you. As a souvenir — equal parts nostalgic, history-making, and MBA schooling — we’ve plucked the top 10 most momentous moments below from our full-tilt “The 101 Biggest Business Moves of the Pandemic” special report.

1. The NBA marks the official start of the pandemic by pulling the plug on the rest of its season
   The March 11 matchup between Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder is seconds from tip-off when the game is delayed by 30 minutes after an NBA player tests positive for Covid-19. Within a half-hour, NBA commissioner Adam Silver calls off not only the game, but the entire season, becoming the first major U.S. sports league to pause games because of the pandemic. The league would eventually return on July 30 with an ambitious plan: sequester players, coaches, and staff in a coronavirus “bubble” at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando for fan-free playoffs.
2. Shopify saves Main Street from the retail apocalypse
   As lockdowns kneecap boutiques, cafés, and virtually every other brick-and-mortar business, there’s a frantic rush to pivot and sell anything possible…