alt Hacker News6 days is also nothing when you're doing R&D on your company's dime. He could have spent a month trying a dozen different things and thrown away all the code at the end. As long as he ends that month with a clear picture of where to steer the company over the next 5 years, it's time well spent.
Had my former employers been so lenient with how I spend company time, I might still be an office worker instead of self-employed!