"Sudden realization" refers to the moment when you suddenly understand or become aware of something you hadn't known or understood before. It is like a lightbulb moment when everything becomes clear to you in an instant. Full definition
A seemingly sudden realization of that fact — plus a friendly environment for selling or spinning off assets — has sparked an epidemic of breakups: News Corp. separating its print properties from its entertainment businesses, eBay (EBAY) spinning off PayPal (PYPL), Hewlett - Packard (HPQ) separating its PC and printer business from its corporate hardware business, United Technologies (UTX) selling its Sikorsky helicopter unit to Lockheed Martin (LMT), and dozens more such moves. (fortune.com)