趁火打劫
Stratagems of Winning · 胜战计Exploit the enemy's misfortune. When an opponent is weakened by crisis, seize the opportunity to advance your position.
When Wu was weakened by internal conflict after the death of King Helü, Yue attacked, exploiting their moment of vulnerability. The timing of the strike during Wu's period of mourning and succession crisis proved decisive.
When Instagram was growing rapidly but struggling with monetization, Facebook acquired it for $1 billion — exploiting Instagram's need for resources and infrastructure. Instagram is now worth over $100 billion, but at the time, Facebook exploited a moment of vulnerability.
During the 2008 financial crisis, stronger consulting firms acquired struggling competitors at steep discounts. The crisis created distress sales that would never happen in normal times, allowing well-capitalized firms to expand capabilities cheaply.