While most organizations react to economic downturns by downsizing and cutting training and educational "costs," a few others thrive under adversity by engaging in innovative practices supported by extensive and creative uses of educational technology. This article examines how diverse organizations benefit from the cycles of "creative destruction" by using "smart" applications of educational technology to add value and save costs to their clients, reinvent industries, and create sustainable ecosystems that spur counter-cyclical growth. (Contains 3 figures.)