How the Walkman, Game Boy, Liquid Death, and Pokémon Became Surprise Hits

In 1979, an unknown Sony engineer by the name of Kozo Ohsone unveiled a miniaturized stereo cassette deck with headphones that let anyone listen to music anywhere, without bothering anyone. Nobody had asked him to make it. His colleagues told him it was ridiculous—no one would be caught dead wearing headphones in public. His boss told him no one would buy a tape deck that couldn’t record.