The online edition of Fortune Magazine has posted its own praises for Nintendo's Wii. Fortune notes the company's market reach is higher than ever through impressive Wii sales, combined with the success already enjoyed by the DS. While the "Wiivangelizing" could have Wii-detractors rolling their eyes, even then the article has some interesting insights into the company that takes care of every detail and lets heaven handle the rest. The article attributes much of Nintendo's positive turn of course to president Satoru Iwata.

To hear suppliers and contractors talk, working with Nintendo is both frustrating and inspirational. It can be Wal-Mart-esque, driving down prices by playing parts manufacturers against one another while challenging them to be more creative. Employees talk breathlessly about loving their jobs while grumbling about hectic schedules. Everyone flies commercial. The one person permitted in first class, Iwata himself, has been known to slog to London and back in one day for a press conference. No hotel required.

In short, Iwata has made Nintendo as efficient as a bullet train and as stingy as a bento box. The company's 3,400 employees generated $8.26 billion in revenue last year, or $2.5 million each.

While exchange rates and fiscal calendars complicate comparisons to U.S. companies, let's do it anyway. Over roughly the same time frame, Microsoft employees generated $624,000 each; Google's performed 50 percent better, at $994,000, though still less than half as well as Nintendo employees. Nintendo's profits reached almost $1.5 billion, or $442,000 per employee, last year, compared with Microsoft's $177,000 and Google's $288,000.

Wolfwood via money.cnn.com »