Nintendo started as a Yakuza company. Gambling was illegal in Japan, so they made hanafuda cards, and the yakuza was the main customer.

It's like one of the most interesting time ever.

1:39:00 / 1:39:27

But we did it And you liked it. We had a great time. Nintendo. It's like one of the most interesting time ever. It started as a a Yakuza company. Right. Like, it's it's crazy.

How did it start?

It was playing cards. So gambling was illegal in Japan, after the Meiji restoration. Okay. And so they made hanafuda cards, which are cards in Japan, and the yakuza was the main customer. And then they got into toys, and then they way later found their way into Japanese.

Why this clip

Shocking origin story that completely reframes how people think about Nintendo. The progression from yakuza cards to gaming giant is counterintuitive and memorable. High shareability due to the surprise factor.

1:39:00 - 1:39:2727sOrigin Story

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Michael Lewis

1 appearance · 2 clips

What they said next

Nintendo was gonna be a big hit - incredible history, incredible company, durable over 100+ years through so many iterations. People love it. But it underperformed our benchmark.

1:38:09 - 15s · Consequences

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