Microsoft made a huge pivot fairly early. Apple, did a small pivot that was arguably a course correction. Nintendo did a major piviot later on. Which I think is more telling.

The odds that your first idea is perfect is small. Recognizing when you have a better option is important.

Like _craft asked, is there data that most successful companies pivot? Mentioning 2-3 successful pivots does give great insight into whether pivoting successfully is common. :)

(But as long as we're listing successful pivots, Intel is one of the most famous pivots out there.)