To achieve big progress, we need really weird people who can challenge the status quo and change the way we think about things. However, as companies get comfortable, they lose their innovative edge and become less adaptable to change.
The podcast hosts discuss the need to continue creating and innovating, and question whether other organizations have looked at Tony Hsieh's success with Zappos as a model.
The episode features stories of technical malfunctions at an event where Farnam Street's The Great Mental Models project is discussed along with one innovator's approach of having different projects to work on.
The technological advancements that we enjoy today are a result of inherited knowledge that has been passed down through generations, from roads built by the Romans, to calculus invented by Newton, to inventions such as parkas and kayaks. Humans inherited this broad knowledge, and ants also have a range of inherited knowledge.
False failures happen when an experiment fails not because of the idea but because of a flaw in the experiment. In the context of innovation, people tend to give up on ideas that encounter false failures, leading to missed opportunities.
The key to attracting like-minded people is leveraging unique venues and traits of a city, as demonstrated by the success of a conference that chartered a jet to bring together top speakers. Cities can stimulate innovation by exploring partnerships with local organizations and by targeting events like conferences to attract attention.
In times of crisis such as the pandemic, occasional disruptions can lead to businesses becoming less risk-averse and more innovative. On the other hand, too much planning and detail can take away the spontaneity that is often required for one to have a good time.
The history of innovation is marked by highly disagreeable people who invented solutions for a problem, just as James Watt invented the horsepower to sell steam engines to mines. Moreover, there are people for whom the idea of electric cars is attractive, but who refuse to join the Tesla cult, creating a whole market for electric cars.
The transcript discusses the story of an innovator and inventor who experienced a big setback in his superconductor work and how he dealt with it, as well as his struggle to get his film scripts produced.
Optimism is key in driving innovation because it fuels the hope of building something new and exciting. Despite the focus on fundraising and smoke and mirrors, genuine optimism allows for big and daring ideas to come to fruition.
