#267 Thomas Edison

In this episode, the host delves into the life and innovations of Thomas Edison, as depicted in Matthew Josephson's biography "Edison." Edison's ability to captivate the public, dramatize his inventions, and maintain an open-lab policy made him an iconic figure, symbolizing the lone, heroic inventor of the 19th century. The discussion reflects on Edison's legacy and his influence on other great minds like Edwin Land, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, and Alexander Graham Bell, highlighting their mutual admiration and study of each other's work. The host emphasizes the importance of focus, as reiterated by successful figures like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and contrasts Edison's scattered approach to invention with the more concentrated efforts of his contemporaries. The episode also touches on Edison's management style, his relentless pursuit of knowledge, and his unwavering determination in the face of adversity, ultimately shaping the trajectory of modern technology and industry.

• Thomas Edison was a self-educated man whose personality outshone other inventors of his time.
• He was known for dramatizing his inventions and gathering public interest.
• Edison typified the independent inventor of the 19th century's age of invention.
• He began his work during the era of gas and kerosene lamps and left the world lit by his inventions.

"By 129, two whole generations of AmEricans had grown accustomed to watching the progress of this selfeducated man who worked in a laboratory that had its windows virtually open to all of the world."

This quote highlights Edison's influence and the public's fascination with his work, emphasizing his open approach to sharing his progress with the world.

• The biography "Edison, a biography" by Matthew Josephson provides insight into Edison's life.
• Speaker A relates Edison's impact to Steve Jobs' aim to "put a dent in the universe."
• The podcast series discusses inventors who admired and studied each other, including Edwin Land, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison.
• Speaker A sees Edison's approach to life and work as less focused compared to the others.

"When I read that paragraph towards the end of the book, it made me think of Steve Jobs' quote, that we're here to put a dent in the universe. That paragraph describes the dent that Thomas Edison put into the universe."

This quote connects Edison's legacy to the modern concept of making a significant impact on the world, similar to the ethos of Steve Jobs.

• Speaker A emphasizes the importance of focus, as echoed by successful figures like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Edwin Land.
• Focus is seen as a simple concept but challenging to maintain over the long term.
• Edison's natural drift was towards curiosity and working on multiple projects, unlike his focused successors.

"What factor did people feel was the most important in getting to where they've gotten in life? And I said Buffett saying focus. And Bill said the same thing."

This quote underlines the consensus among successful individuals that focus is key to achieving significant accomplishments.

• Edison's family were pioneers, often lacking formal education, and were known for being dissidents and eccentrics.
• They were strong individualists, often obstinate, which influenced Edison's character.
• Edison's father, Sam, was involved in an insurrection against the Canadian government, leading to his flight to the United States.

"Sam Edison was publicly denounced as a leading figure among the wouldbe revolutionists. Before dawn, Sam was off through the woods, running like a deer towards the United States border that was more than 80 miles away."

This quote explains the adventurous and rebellious nature of Edison's ancestry, which had a profound impact on his life and personality.

• A significant event in Edison's childhood was a public chastisement by his father, which left a lasting impression on him.
• The incident reflected the harsh realities of the world and influenced his independent nature.

"The public thrashing he received stamped itself on the boy's mind and memory, for Thomas described it all 60 years later when he thought back upon his boyhood."

This quote shows the deep impact of Edison's childhood experiences on his psyche, shaping his understanding of the world.

• Edison's mother, Nancy, played a pivotal role in his education, steering him away from rote memorization towards self-directed learning.
• She introduced him to a wide range of literature, which sparked his interest in reading and learning.
• Edison's mother's teaching approach allowed him to pursue his interests and learn independently.

"Thus his mother had accomplished that which all truly great teachers do for their pupils. She brought him to the stage of learning things for himself, learning that which most amused and interested him."

This quote highlights the transformative effect of Edison's mother's educational approach, which encouraged him to explore his curiosities and learn autonomously.

• Edison began working at the age of twelve, which led to a defining moment where he saved a child and learned telegraphy as a reward.
• His job on the train and the incident with the child set the stage for his future experiments with the telegraph.
• Edison's resourcefulness is evident in his decision to start his own newspaper on the train and his voracious reading at the Detroit Public Library.

"My refuge was the Detroit Public Library. I started with the first book on the bottom shelf and went through the lot one by one. I did not read a few books, I read the library."

This quote illustrates Edison's insatiable thirst for knowledge and his determination to educate himself by reading extensively.

• Edison's first encounter with an inventor, Sam Winchester, who disappeared in a hydrogen balloon, did not deter his own ambitions.
• Nancy Edison's teaching method was pivotal in shaping Edison's self-learning and inquisitive nature.

"She let me follow my bent."

This quote succinctly captures the essence of Edison's educational experience under his mother's guidance, which allowed him to pursue his natural inclinations.

• Edison was attacked by a grown man at the age of 15, which led to the closure of his newspaper operation.
• He saved the three-year-old son of a station master named Mackenzie from being hit by a train.
• Grateful, Mackenzie offered to teach Edison telegraphy, which became a pivotal skill for his future.

"So now this is a grown man, a grown adult, attacking and beating the hell out of a 15 year old kid. One day, the man sighted the young editor near the docks. He laid violent hands on him and then threw him into the river. Shortly after Edison closed down that operation, this is the event that changes his life that I referenced earlier."

This quote describes the violent attack on Edison and the subsequent life-altering event where he saved Mackenzie's son, leading to his opportunity to learn telegraphy.

• Telegraphy was akin to programming today, offering a stable income and high demand during the Civil War.
• Telegraph operators were young, nomadic, and had bohemian habits.
• Edison was dedicated to improving telegraphy, which laid the groundwork for his future inventions.

"The telegraph operators were the digital nomads of their day. So it says Edison could find work almost anywhere because the need for telegraphers was so urgent during the civil war."

This quote highlights the high demand for telegraph operators during the Civil War, likening them to today's digital nomads, and sets the stage for Edison's early career.

• Edison's passion for telegraphy was intense; he would work alone for long hours.
• His focus on telegraphy led to the development of many ideas and strategies that he later perfected.

"He says he works alone at his experiments for long hours and enjoys himself heartily."

This quote emphasizes Edison's dedication and enjoyment in working on telegraphy, which became the foundation for his later work.

• Edison was greatly inspired by Michael Faraday, seeing parallels between their lives.
• Faraday's book "Experimental Researches in Electricity" was a decisive event in Edison's life, fueling his desire to become an inventor.

"Edison said this first encounter with the great english scientist journals on his experiments was one of the decisive events of his life."

The quote underscores the profound impact Faraday's work had on Edison's aspirations and his path towards becoming an inventor.

• Edison's early inventions, like the stock ticker refinements, were in high demand.
• Due to his lack of business experience, he often received little compensation for his work.

"His patent rights were sold off to a large telegraph company, and thanks due to his want of business experience, meaning he didn't know what he was doing, Edison received almost nothing for his work on this venture."

This quote illustrates Edison's initial struggles with the business side of his inventions, often being taken advantage of by more experienced businessmen.

• Edison moved to New York in debt and without prospects, but his expertise in telegraphy eventually led to new opportunities.
• He was hired by the Gold Indicator Company after fixing a critical issue on his first visit.

"He arrived the next morning in New York with not a coin left in his pocket."

This quote depicts Edison's dire financial situation upon arriving in New York, setting the stage for his future success.

• Edison worked on improving communication technologies for financial exchanges, identifying a market need.
• His experience with the gold indicator company and witnessing the gold market crisis shaped his understanding of the financial world.

"The day he shows up, the entire system goes down. And Pope, who's the head engineer there, can't figure out what's going on."

The quote describes Edison's fortuitous timing in demonstrating his skills, which led to his employment at the Gold Indicator Company.

• Edison continued to improve telegraphic stock tickers and sold his inventions to Western Union.
• His first significant financial success came from selling his inventions at a time when he was unsure of their worth.

"Well, young man, the committee would like to settle up the account. How much do you think they are worth?"

This quote captures the moment when Edison was about to receive payment for his inventions, marking a turning point in his financial status.

• Edison initially did not set a price for his work and asked for an offer.
• The offer from Western Union was unexpectedly high at $40,000.
• Edison's reaction to the offer was one of shock and disbelief.

"He should ask for $5,000. Instead, he said, can you make me an offer? And then the guy from Western Union said, how would $40,000 strike you?"

The quote illustrates Edison's surprise at the offer from Western Union, which was significantly higher than he anticipated.

• Edison worked closely with his employees, creating a sense of camaraderie.
• He was both approachable and demanding, keeping his employees motivated.
• Edison's dedication to work was mirrored by his long working hours, setting a strong example for his team.

"Edison was as dirty as any other workman. I immediately felt that there was a great deal to him."

This quote reflects Edison's hands-on approach and his ability to relate to his workers on a personal level.

• The system allowed for sending multiple telegraph messages simultaneously.
• It was a significant invention that played a role in the financial battles of the time.

"The most important idea that's going to come out from this period of his life is what's called the multiplex telegraphic system."

The quote highlights the significance of Edison's multiplex telegraphic system in the context of the telegraphic industry.

• Edison sought comprehensive knowledge of past work in his field.
• He was known for his intense study habits, often to the exclusion of all else.

"Edison's methods of investigation were described as requiring complete knowledge of everything that had ever been done before in such a field as automatic telegraphy."

This quote describes Edison's thorough approach to research, ensuring he was fully informed on the subject matter.

• Edison understood the value of patents as financial assets.
• Jay Gould used Edison's inventions to manipulate the stock market for personal gain.

"He had already appreciated how inventors' patents, even without operational value, could be used as pawns or bargaining measures by moneyed patrons of applied science."

The quote explains Edison's strategic understanding of patents beyond their technical applications.

• The telegraph was the backbone of the information economy in the late 19th century.
• Edison's work on the telegraph was akin to working on the internet today.

"The importance of the telegraph in 1850 to 1880, before the day of the telephone, was the mighty impetus it gave to the american economy, can scarcely be measured nowadays."

This quote emphasizes the telegraph's impact on the American economy and its centrality to information exchange at the time.

• Menlo Park was a significant invention in itself, being a dedicated research lab.
• Edison sought to focus solely on invention, moving away from manufacturing.

"He's almost 30 years old. He's like, I'm getting out of New York, and I'm going to the middle of nowhere, New Jersey, and I'm going to build a laboratory of science at Menlo park."

The quote captures Edison's decision to change his professional direction and focus on pure research.

• Edison's dedication to his work came at the cost of personal relationships.
• His employees also made significant personal sacrifices for their work.

"My children grew up without knowing their father, he said. When I did get home at night, which was seldom, they were in bed."

This quote reveals the personal cost of Edison's and his employees' commitment to their work.

• Edison invented the phonograph but did not immediately commercialize it.
• He began to focus on the invention of the electric light bulb.

"One undertaking particularly gripped his imagination. It was described as being that of dispelling night, with its darkness from the arena of civilization."

The quote metaphorically describes Edison's focus on inventing the electric light bulb.

• Edison's confidence and passion were infectious, convincing others to invest in his ideas.
• The story of Danny Lewin illustrates the power of belief in securing investment.

"He had an air of supreme confidence with which he sought to imbue everyone around him, including interested capitalists."

This quote highlights Edison's ability to inspire confidence in potential investors, crucial for his later success with the electric light.

• Thomas Edison's confidence attracted wealthy capitalists like Vanderbilt's son and J.P. Morgan.
• Edison's partners, including executives from Western Union, invested in his potential rather than a specific invention.
• J.P. Morgan played a significant role in controlling Edison's company despite not being on the board.
• Edison's connection with Morgan was seen as increasing the chances of his project's success.
• The relationship between big business and technology began to tighten during this period.

"Edison said their money was invested in confidence of my ability to bring it back again."

This quote emphasizes the trust Edison's financial backers had in his capabilities rather than a tangible product.

"Behind this whole venture stood J.P. Morgan, who kept his name off the board of directors, but had its partners serving as director of the new company."

This quote reveals J.P. Morgan's influential yet behind-the-scenes control over Edison's company.

• J.P. Morgan erased Edison's name from the corporate existence without notifying him.
• Edison was 'morganized,' a term describing Morgan's strategy of taking over companies.
• This aggressive business practice led to the formation of General Electric.

"And so it was that J.P. Morgan, whose house had been the first in New York to be wired for electricity by Edison a decade earlier, now erased Edison's name out of corporate existence without even the courtesy of a telegram or a phone call to the great inventor."

This quote details the disregard J.P. Morgan had for Edison when removing his name from the company they built together.

• Edison faced continual challenges in building the electric industry.
• Problems are an everyday occurrence and should be viewed as opportunities for problem-solving.
• Life and business are about effectively addressing problems, not avoiding them.

"No great end can be obtained without considerable doubt and tribulation."

This quote suggests that significant achievements are often accompanied by difficulties and challenges.

• Edison's work was inspired by literature, such as Victor Hugo's "Toilers of the Sea."
• His relentless work ethic was driven by a belief in success despite numerous setbacks.
• Edison's enthusiasm and persistence were key to his inventive process.

"I never quit until I get what I want."

This quote encapsulates Edison's tenacity and determination in his work.

• Edison's quest for the perfect light bulb filament led to worldwide expeditions.
• The search resulted in dangerous journeys and even mysterious disappearances.
• Edison's dedication to finding the right materials demonstrates his commitment to innovation.

"Edison's worldwide search for filament for his light bulb actually leads to some surprising ends."

This quote highlights the lengths to which Edison went to find the ideal filament for his light bulbs.

• Edison had to balance managing the expectations of his employees and investors.
• His ability to maintain optimism was crucial in keeping his team and backers aligned.
• The fluctuation between hope and pessimism was a constant in the invention's development stage.

"Hope and pessimism alternated in the minds of Edison's financial sponsors during the transitional stage between the invention and its development."

This quote reflects the emotional rollercoaster experienced by those financially invested in Edison's work.

• Edison was admired for working alongside his employees without concern for public opinion.
• His hands-on approach was compared to other influential leaders like Sam Zamuri and Steve Jobs.
• Edison's direct involvement in his work was a testament to his dedication and leadership style.

"It was wonderful to see Edison working by their side, all covered with grease and suit."

This quote describes Edison's willingness to get his hands dirty and work directly on the problems at hand.

• Edison could not stop inventing and experimenting, likening it to a necessity like breathing.
• His natural curiosity and drive to learn were integral to his identity as an inventor.
• Edison's passion for inventing was a lifelong pursuit, even when business pressures mounted.

"He could no more stop observing things or experimenting than he could stop breathing."

This quote illustrates Edison's innate need to invent and explore, which was as vital to him as the air he breathed.

• Founders, like Edison, are characterized by their continuous pursuit of knowledge and experimentation.
• Charles Ketering, another notable inventor, admired Edison's relentless search for solutions.
• The process of discovery and learning is essential to the success of founders and their ventures.

"It was because Edison was always looking for things that he inserted a straight wire into an incandescent light bulb and found he could pull a current of electricity out of a vacuum, thus discovering an inexhaustible source of free electrons."

This quote underscores the importance of curiosity and experimentation in Edison's discoveries and innovations.