iRobot made Roomba into an icon. Now, it’s in a huge mess
March 31, 2025
How did the creator of the iconic round robot vacuum—which has sold more than 50 million units—get into this mess?
Although there’s of course more than one answer to that question, a major factor seems to have been an ill-fated focus on dreaming up ways to move beyond the vacuum into new product categories—all the while failing to keep up with new competitors in its core business.
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How the BIC Cristal Ballpoint Pen Became the Most Successful Product in History
June 11, 2025
joel's thoughts:
Not long after its introduction in 1950, the Cristal became ubiquitous around the world, so ideally did it suit human needs at a price that would have seemed impossibly cheap not so very long ago