Invention vs Innovation
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Thomas Edison is best remembered for bringing us the lightbulb; affordable and plentiful lighting to humanity. But in reality, at least 21 other individuals could plausibly lay claim to inventing the idea of electrifying a filament in a bulb prior to Edison. Edison’s genius was not invention so much as it was innovation. Edison stood on the shoulders of giants, bringing all of the pieces together into an affordable and revolutionary product. Despite often being used interchangeably, the terms “invention” and “innovation” are not the same. Ideas often languish for years, if not decades, before catching on. It takes innovation to realize the potential of invention.
The GM EV1: Tesla before the Tesla
In the mid-1990s, GM began to produce a revolutionary new car called the EV1, the first modern production electric vehicle (EV)…
