After his first game venture failed, Peter Molyneux started a baked bean export business. Commodore International mistakenly offered him ten free Amiga systems because they confused the baked bean company’s name “Taurus” with a software company “Torus”, and he used the hardware to create a database system for the Amiga, which was successful.

Which is just such a weird story.

Full text of the paragraph:

Due to the game’s failure, Molyneux retreated from game design, and started Taurus Impex Limited—a company that exported baked beans to the Middle East—with his business partner Les Edgar.[5][6] Commodore International mistook it for Torus, a more established company that produced networking software, and offered to provide Molyneux with ten[5] free Amiga systems to help in porting “his” networking software.[2][7] Molyneux later said “it suddenly dawned on me that this guy didn’t know who we were. I suddenly had this crisis of conscience. I thought, ‘If this guy finds out, there go my free computers down the drain.’ So I just shook his hand and ran out of that office.”[2] Taurus designed a database system for the Amiga called Acquisition – The Ultimate Database for The Amiga[5] and, after clearing up the misunderstanding with Commodore, released the program to moderate success.

      • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Someone should make a movie about this

        Are you trying to astroturf me into making this movie? Gasp. 😊

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        I just minutes ago finished up the new season of Disenchantment before coming across this post. The main character’s name is Bean.

        I also had a taco salad for lunch today and one of the main ingredients was… beans.

        This is spooky.

    • dbilitated@aussie.zoneOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      i had no idea about the beans, it’s been a confusing education and i won’t do it again 😬

      edit: perhaps it’s bean a confusing education, i don’t even know anymore