Famous Failures
This author was rejected by 12 publishers before a small one took a chance on her magical boarding school series.
J.K. Rowling
This logo features a swoosh that symbolizes movement and speed.
Nike
“Just Do It.”
Nike
This search engine was originally called “BackRub” before becoming its more familiar name.
Kid lives under stairs and learns magic tricks at boarding school.
Harry Potter
Before founding the world’s largest e-commerce company, this entrepreneur was told his idea was “not practical.”
Jeff Bezos
This fruit-shaped logo has a bite taken out of it, symbolizing knowledge and tech innovation.
Apple
“I’m Lovin’ It.”
McDonalds
This fast food chain was named after its founder, Colonel Harland Sanders.
KFC
Teen gets bit by a bug, becomes really good at parkour, and struggles with time management.
Spider Man
This company failed at launching a music player called the Zune, but later dominated gaming with their video game console.
Microsoft
This car company’s logo has a three-pointed star, representing land, sea, and air.
Mercedes-Benz
“Think Different.”
Apple
This Swedish company’s name is an acronym that includes the founder’s initials and his hometown.
IKEA
A fancy cruise gets a bad Yelp review.
Titanic
This video rental giant passed on the chance to buy Netflix in 2000.
Blockbuster
This logo shows a peacock with colorful feathers, representing the variety in programming.
NBC
“The Ultimate Driving Machine.”
BMW
This ride-sharing company took its name from a term meaning “to exceed” or “go beyond.”
Uber
Small man must destroy jewelry to save the world.
Lord of the Rings
This social media platform started as a dating site before pivoting to photo sharing.
This e-commerce company’s logo has an arrow from A to Z, symbolizing a wide selection and a smile.
Amazon
“Don’t Be Evil.”
This company’s name is a blend of the words “microcomputer” and “software.”
Microsoft
Guy makes a big boom and then spends 3 hours regretting everything in IMAX.
Oppenheimer