The phrase “fail forward,” repeated to the point of cliché, is part of the modern gospel of the innovation economy. We’ve all heard the anecdotes of famous failures: Steve Jobs at Apple; Mark Zuckerberg’s Facemash; Sir Richard Branson’s disastrous line extensions such as Virgin Cola and Virgin Clothes. Indeed, you can hear spectacular stories of face-planting in Palo Alto, New York, Cambridge, and Austin and any TEDx. Of course, invariably the story ends with a plucky innovator dusting herself or himself off and trying again, eventually to succeed.
