One idea, one quote, one question. 90 seconds. The Idea The oldest company in recorded history was a Japanese temple builder called Kongo Gumi. Founded in 578 AD. Not 1578 — 578. A Korean carpenter was invited by a Japanese prince to build the country’s first Buddhist temple, and his family kept building temples for 1,428 years. Forty generations. One craft. Think about what that company survived. The Meiji era, when the Japanese government actively tried to eradicate Buddhism — their entire...