Title: The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
Author: Jon Gertner
Publication dates: Mar 15, 2012 (Penguin Press; ebook/hardcover); Feb 26, 2013 (Penguin Books paperback).
Pages: 432 (paperback; some retailer listings show 422).
Value for PMs & founders (problem it solves)
A field-tested blueprint for building an innovation system: co-locate interdisciplinary teams, pick system-level problems, create patient, long-horizon funding, and couple basic research to development & manufacturing so discoveries reliably become products.
Summary
A narrative history of Bell Labs and its people—Kelly, Shannon, Pierce, Shockley—showing how structure and culture enabled inventions from the transistor and laser to digital/ cellular communications. It details practices that made Bell Labs a model for modern R&D.
3 community-reported takeaways (with sources)
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Interdisciplinary co-location drives breakthroughs—Bell Labs’ set-up fostered rapid cross-pollination across physics, math, engineering. WIRED
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Patient, mission-aligned research pays off—a long-term mandate plus tight research↔product link boosts real-world impact. Belfer Center
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Org design > lone geniuses—leadership and processes created the conditions for consistent innovation, not just isolated flashes. Belfer Center
Buy online (international)
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Penguin Random House (publisher page) — specs & formats. PenguinRandomhouse.com
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Barnes & Noble (US) — paperback/ebook/audiobook. Barnes & Noble
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Bookshop.org — indie bookstores. Bookshop
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Amazon (US) — paperback & Kindle. Amazon
Author of Impact Factories / Co-founder of Shy Robotics and Product Whys / Head of Product at Dassault Systèmes / Engineer passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship
Full bibliography here
