In the early days of IBM (variously dated to the 1920s–1960s), an employee was responsible for a major error that cost the company a significant amount of money—typically cited as $10 million (adjusted for inflation, that's over $100 million today; some versions say $1 million or $600,000). The mistake varied slightly in telling's:
In one common version, it was a failed development project or risky venture that went wrong.
In another, it was losing a critical sales bid or government contract due to mishandling.
Expecting to be fired, the employee went to CEO Thomas J. Watson's office and offered his resignation. Watson refused, reportedly saying something like: "Resign? Are you kidding? I just spent $10 million educating you!" (Variations include "Why would I accept this when I have just invested $10 million in your education?" or "We've just spent $10 million dollars educating you!")
The point was that Watson valued learning from mistakes over punishing them, as long as the employee showed accountability and growth. This reflected IBM's culture at the time, emphasizing innovation and forgiveness for "thoughtful mistakes" to encourage risk-taking.