“He was more responsible than any one else for creating the modern world .... No one did more to shape the physical/cultural makeup of present-day civilization.... Accordingly, he was the most influential figure of the millennium.”
This quote could easily have come from any of the hundreds of articles written about Jobs after his death in October 2011. But in fact, this was written about someone who was born more than 100 years earlier. That’s right, Thomas
So who had the most influence on our current world? Let the Jobs vs. Edison match begin.
In Steve’s corner:
In Edison’s corner: 1,093 US patents. The first industrial research lab, from which emerged electric light, sound recording, motion pictures and
So far the score’s tied: Both produced prolific innovation that made them icons in the popular culture, destined to be remembered long after their deaths.
As an inventor, was Steve Jobs as influential as Thomas Edison? The truth is, this is a false comparison. They lived in completely different eras of technology evolution, making their respective playing fields difficult if not impossible to compare. It is far more interesting to ponder what made both great athletes in the sport of innovation.
How were their talents similar? As well as any innovators in history, both understood and acted on the greatest lessons of successful commercialization:
1. Leverage the power of integration (and create a platform).
Within pop culture, Thomas Edison is most commonly known for inventing the light bulb. But among historians, Edison’s greatest achievement is widely agreed to be the world's first economically viable system of centrally generating and distributing electric light, heat, and power. He created the energy grid. He saw how the integration of technologies created a platform for an entirely new way to live. Job’s vision was similar, and he led Apple to create an entirely new paradigm – a consumer technology platform built around a proprietary operating system, but one that fostered open innovation and a wide spectrum of products. Again, an entirely new way to live. In both cases, the platform became the playground for even more innovation.
2. Focus on the market need more than the invention.
Edison’s very first invention was an elegant electronic vote-recording machine. His invention worked perfectly, but was a perfect failure. Many politicians scolded him: “This is exactly what we do NOT want!”. Although he was disappointed with this outcome, he immediately grasped its implications. He vowed that from then on, he would "never waste time inventing things that people would not want to buy." His goal was not just to invent, but to bring things to the market that the market actually needed now, even if they were not aware of it yet. Doesn’t that sound a bit like Job’s famous quote, “It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want”? Listening to the customer is about identifying problems, and if the problems are clear and significant enough, they will eventually lead you to the right innovative solution. An innovation seeking a problem is a fool’s errand.
3. Seek to fulfill the promise of innovation by creating things to serve mankind.
This is a mission that will rally others around it, and one that will keep you focused on the largest opportunities. If opportunities do not meet this threshold, they may have value but they will ultimately be distracting. Edison was inspired to create an energy grid that transformed how people lived, literally bringing “good things to life”; Jobs was said to believe that expanding Apple would do more good for more people than giving money to charity. As we roll toward the Internet of Things, it’s evident just how much impact Apple has had on creating technology that serves mankind. It’s clear that within the expert technologist in Edison or Jobs lurked an ambitious humanitarian.
So who was more influential, Jobs or Edison? No matter your ultimate conclusion, it is fascinating to think about the innovations to come that will be inspired by the performance of both men, arguably the two most influential figures of the millennium.
How can you apply these lessons of successful commercialization to innovations your own company is exploring?
For information on hiring Rick to keynote your next event, contact Emree at FastRadius dot com.
