> Of course, given the collective ingenuity of the cartel’s engineers and scientists, it should have been possible to design a lightbulb that was both bright and long-lived.

And not energy efficient.

The article lightly touches on it, but the physical reality is that the better the electrical efficiency the less time the bulb lasts.

It's a tradeoff that has not changed in 100 years.

So yes, the cartel did mandate 1,000 hours - but they also saved untold amounts of electricity over then next 100 years.