I had the same reaction when I read that passage. By the end of the piece, though, I thought it was pretty clear that the author is trying to make the point tha

I had the same reaction when I read that passage. By the end of the piece, though, I thought it was pretty clear that the author is trying to make the point that the "right characteristics" aren't what matters; what matters is knowing your customers and running a learning organization that, week after week, gets better and better at serving their needs. From later in the article: >"Quirky never iterated on its products ... instead Quirky re-focused its energy on coffee makers and pet feeders and 50 other things. Lack of product focus had a nasty side-effect. When you look across the Quirky product line, you’re left with one fundamental feeling: confusion." >"Many things can go right for a company but at the end of the day you must do one thing really well: sell a product that delights your customers." With that said, I think he could have set up the "nailed nearly everything" passage to make it clearer that he was in on the joke, saving his readers a few groans in the process.