But nature is taking over again, now the heavy industry has retreated.
Ericsson, whose researchers contributed essential patents to the GSM and 3G wireless standards, was an early pioneer in the mobile industry but retreated from the handset business to focus on network gear.
Even so, don't expect the movie industry to retreat anytime soon, especially as sequels still rule at the box office.
Deutsche Bank, meanwhile, warned clients to keep an eye on balance sheets across the industry as retreating earnings could leave some firms "at risk of cashflow issues".
In the five years since the Deepwater Horizon accident, the oil and gas industry has not retreated to safety.
That downward trend has gone hand in hand with a strong showing by the outdoor economy during a time when most industries are retreating.
Many of the industrys stocks have retreated to levels last seen a decade and a half ago; the broader market rout has wiped away merely a half-decade of gains.
Mr. Peterson said he thought Detroit's long-running industry showcase would retreat to its more modest, pre-1989 roots, before it took on the role (and name) of being North America's auto show.
One of the biggest problems for Mr. Gore, and other Democrats, is that the DreamWorks trio of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg, longtime Clinton promoters and experts at extracting millions from their friends in the entertainment industry, plan to retreat from the fund-raising when Mr. Clinton leaves office.
France's government, having retreated from directing industry in recent years, launched a heavily interventionist policy in March, vowing to lift manufacturing output by a quarter over five years.
