Why being wrong is good for you

Even the most prolific blunderers can go on to do great things

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery,” wrote James Joyce in “Ulysses”. In 1888 Lee Kum Sheung, a young cook in a coastal province in southern China, forgot the oyster soup he was boiling on the stove until it simmered down to a thick, sticky gravy. Once he discovered how tasty it was, he decided to sell his “oyster sauce” in jars. That lucky mistake would make him and his heirs rich. According to Forbes, the Lee siblings—his great-grandchildren—are worth $17.7bn, making them the fourth-richest family in Hong Kong.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Howler horror”

From the November 9th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Ferrari’s electric car: divisiveness is the point

The Italian supercar brand is attempting a high-stakes manoeuvre

The world’s top condom-maker is getting squeezed

Will Karex break under pressure?

Franchising has quietly made countless Americans rich

In the age of AI, running a McDonald’s may soon look a lot more appealing

Why you should (almost) always look on the bright side of life

The benefits—and dangers—of optimism

Can an Italian company disrupt Germany’s broken railway industry?

Deutsche Bahn could soon have a rival

A new mega-deal shows how AI has turned utilities into hot property

NextEra and Dominion must now win over regulators