Evernote Blows Up the ‘Fail Fast’ Gospel

Smiling cryptically, Ian Small, the chief executive of Evernote, handed me some socks. At the peak of Evernote’s success, as part of an ambitious plan to expand from software factory to lifestyle brand, the company sold the socks and other “exceptional products that satisfy our desires for greater ease and efficiency,” like high-end scanners and backpacks made by Côte&Ciel, a French boutique. Instead, the company cycled through four chief executives, several rounds of layoffs, three office closings and the shuttering of numerous side projects, including Japanese-made smart covers for your feet.

Source: www.nytimes.com