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Innovation chief says “pressure test” your pet hypothesis. It’s guaranteed to be wrong.
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Innovation chief says “pressure test” your pet hypothesis. It’s guaranteed to be wrong.

Freethink, 2023


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9

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  • Applicable
  • Eye Opening
  • Eloquent

Recommendation

A member of Robert Oppenheimer’s original team developing the atomic bomb, Edward Teller went on to help create an even more apocalyptic bomb – the hydrogen bomb. Later in life, however, Edward Teller focused on how atomic energy might be used to aid humanity rather than for destruction. In this intriguing interview, Teller’s grandson, X laboratories director Astro Teller, discusses the idea of innovating for the greater good. He discusses what “moonshot” innovation entails and why scientists and others today should balance the need for profit with a sense of higher purpose. 

Take-Aways

  • A radically innovative pursuit, or “moonshot,” consists of a huge problem, a groundbreaking solution – and the technology needed to test it.
  • “Pressure testing” is not only focused on the tech.
  • Purpose and profit can go together.

About the Authors

Ian Scheffler has written for The New YorkerThe Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. His first book was Cracking the CubeEric “Astro” Teller is an American entrepreneur, computer scientist and author. Since 2010, Teller has directed Google X (which has become X) laboratories.


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