Disruptive innovation
This post is Part I of A Brief History of Disruptive Innovation. Part II can be found here.
For thousands of years, beginning around 10,000 BC in the Middle East, humankind embarked upon its first disruptive revolution. Until that point, humans had roamed the earth in hunter-gatherer societies, foraging for food. When ancient humans discovered farming, and began settling permanently, in one place, advancements in agricultural technology led to a surplus food supply, which in turn, led to surplus time. The result was unprecedented innovation, and explosive technological, economic and social development — hallmarks of recorded history. Still, the neolithic revolution is not without detractors. Jared Diamond, author of the famous “Guns, Germs and Steel,” posited in 2009 that the move from hunter gatherers to farmers was “the worst mistake in history.” Indeed, 12,000 years after the fact, the neolithic revolution has some serious retroactive detractors. While objections to farming’s impact are unlikely to impact our dependence on it, Diamond’s comments illustrate an important point — no innovation, no matter how obviously beneficial it might be, is immune from fierce criticism. When detractors of disruptive innovation live to see them introduced, that criticism turns to active opposition. Throughout history, the forces of the status quo have conspired to impede progress, and prevent radical innovations from claiming market space.
Resistance to innovation is littered throughout history. Roman historian Pliny the Elder, as well as two other writers, tell of a radical inventor who brought a new type of glass before emperor Augustus. The glass was supposedly unbreakable; upon throwing it to the ground, various sources recount it bouncing, denting but not shattering. Augustus worried that the value of the glass would undermine the value of his gold and silver, so promptly ordered the man executed. “Flexible glass” or “vitrum flexile” was lost for almost 2,000 years,
For thousands of years, beginning around 10,000 BC in the Middle East, humankind embarked upon its first disruptive revolution. Until that point, humans had roamed the earth in hunter-gatherer societies, foraging for food. When ancient humans discovered farming, and began settling permanently, in one place, advancements in agricultural technology led to a surplus food supply, which in turn, led to surplus time. The result was unprecedented innovation, and explosive technological, economic and social development — hallmarks of recorded history. Still, the neolithic revolution is not without detractors. Jared Diamond, author of the famous “Guns, Germs and Steel,” posited in 2009 that the move from hunter gatherers to farmers was “the worst mistake in history.” Indeed, 12,000 years after the fact, the neolithic revolution has some serious retroactive detractors. While objections to farming’s impact are unlikely to impact our dependence on it, Diamond’s comments illustrate an important point — no innovation, no matter how obviously beneficial it might be, is immune from fierce criticism. When detractors of disruptive innovation live to see them introduced, that criticism turns to active opposition. Throughout history, the forces of the status quo have conspired to impede progress, and prevent radical innovations from claiming market space.
Resistance to innovation is littered throughout history. Roman historian Pliny the Elder, as well as two other writers, tell of a radical inventor who brought a new type of glass before emperor Augustus. The glass was supposedly unbreakable; upon throwing it to the ground, various sources recount it bouncing, denting but not shattering. Augustus worried that the value of the glass would undermine the value of his gold and silver, so promptly ordered the man executed. “Flexible glass” or “vitrum flexile” was lost for almost 2,000 years,