1001 Brand Stories

Ten years, 1,001 stories of the world's quietly remarkable businesses

Do one small, ordinary thing well, decade after decade — that is extraordinary.

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    He Quit Google Over an $80 Laptop Battery

    Anker · Charging · Consumer electronics · Oct 8, 2026

    Steven Yang went home to Changsha to sell power banks on Amazon. Fifteen years later, Anker books $4.3 billion a year and leads the world in charging gear sold online.

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    Four DJI Veterans, One Bungalow, and the Printer That Woke Up 3D Printing

    Bambu Lab · 3D printing · Oct 1, 2026

    Bambu Lab shipped 1.2 million printers in 2024, about 29% of the consumer market. Its founder had meant to stay at DJI until retirement.

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    The Programmer Who Wanted a Picture of the Stars

    ZWO · Astronomy optics · Sep 21, 2026

    Sam Wen wrote code by day and watched the sky at night. The camera he built for himself grew into a Suzhou company that makes nearly a third of the world's dedicated astronomy cameras.