Building the Bell System
Indeed, a marketing study commissioned by AT&T in the fall of 1971 informed its team that “there was no market for mobile phones at any price.” Neither man agreed with that assessment. Though Engel didn’t perceive it at the time, he later came to believe that marketing studies could only tell you something about the demand for products that act
... See moreJon Gertner • The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
Over the next 50 years, Vail’s organization—eventually called the Bell Telephone Laboratories—produced the transistor, the solar cell, the CCD chip (used inside every digital camera), the first continuously operating laser, the Unix operating system, the C programming language, and eight Nobel Prizes. Vail created the most successful industrial res
... See moreSafi Bahcall • Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries
Take a look around. You probably have a phone made by one of two companies. You likely bank at one of four giant banks, and fly on one of four big airlines. You connect with friends with either Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram, all of which are owned by one company. You get your internet through Comcast or AT&T. Data about your thoughts goes in
... See moreMatt Stoller • Goliath
Under the act, telecommunications companies were required to operate as “common carriers,” a legal term borrowed from the transportation business. Early in the industrial age, countries recognized that shipping firms were economic linchpins—many other businesses depended on their services—and as a result wielded enormous power over commerce and tra
... See more