But that seems to work even less well. Can you name any successful implementation of it?

incomplete list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_worker_cooperatives

That’s very different than a country-wide implementation. Maybe it only works when you have a small group of committed people doing it.

Marx never specified how “country-wide implementation” should look like, Marxism-Leninism was the most common one. Escaping capitalism in today's world is impossible because the moment you decide to work on different economic model and distance yourself from IMF you'll sign your death sentence. Big players will never allow that.

a worker owned cooperative is the very definition of the workers owning the means of production, so i responded with marxist examples to your comment.

the fact that you assume that a country-wide implementation is the only way that marx's ideas can be implemented is a product of the red scare.

if organizing as cooperatives was the most common way to structure businesses (rather than a capitalist organization), then you'd have a different, arguably better society. in that situation, you can organize as a capitalistic endeavor if you want, but you'd have a hard time competing with co-ops for labor and other resources. it would be decentralized, entrepreneurs would still get rewarded, there would still be free enterprise, it would be a free labor market, etc.

If we consider average life expectency to be the best indicator of successful implementation (considering once you're dead nothing else matter anymore), Cuba succeded pretty well... Or at least better than the US.

It’s an interesting idea. Based on documentaries about Cuba I’m not sure how happy the people seemed though. They are definitely more fit though from less exposure to processed food and the Western diet.