> Every two weeks, he held all-hands meetings to beg people to work, unpaid, for another two weeks. That went on for two years.

What's really astonishing is how long he managed to keep this up. He must have been an extremely good motivator and hired lots of incredibly dedicated employees. If he didn't get his eventual lucky break, these people's lives would have been wrecked.

There must be a lesson to be learned here, though I have some doubts if it is repeatable.