Here, in Silicon Valley, failure isn’t always failure. At least according to the local mythology, it’s something to be embraced, accepted, even celebrated. “Fail fast, fail often,” they say. And eventually you’ll learn enough to achieve real success.
On June 7th, the Museum of Failure will open in Helsingborg, Sweden. There you’ll find the remains of failed innovation. Google Glass, the Sony Betamax, the Apple Newton, Nokia’s N-gage–they’re all there. Ditto a bottle of Harley-Davidson Perfume, Coca-Cola BlāK (aka coffee-flavored coke), and a Colgate Beef Lasagne TV Dinner. And, don’t forget the Trump monopoly-style board game–part of a long line of failed Trump products and businesses.
Above, curator Samuel West highlights items in the collection. Bringing together over 60 failed products and services from around the world, the collection provides “unique insight into the risky business of innovation.” You can get another glimpse of the new institution below. Fittingly, the museum is free.
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The Long Game of Creativity: If You Haven’t Created a Masterpiece at 30, You’re Not a Failure
Oprah Winfrey’s Harvard Commencement Speech: Failure is Just Part of Moving Through Life
Paulo Coelho on The Fear of Failure
How to Start a Start-Up: A Free Course from Y Combinator Taught at Stanford
Seth Godin’s Startup School: A Free Mini-Course for New Entrepreneurs
Apropos that the video is shot with empty coat hangers in the background and shifting light, both outstanding visual failures.