
The Idea Factory - jamesbritt
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/books/the-idea-factory-by-jon-gertner.html?ref=books&pagewanted=all
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jeremyis
The Idea Factory was also a book where a guy journed his struggles through MIT
grad school (mech engineering I think). Was interesting though gloomy:
[http://www.amazon.com/The-Idea-Factory-Learning-
Think/dp/026...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Idea-Factory-Learning-
Think/dp/0262731428/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332696472&sr=8-2)

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pm90
yeah, it's quite gloomy, although it's an honest experience of an ordinary
engineer learning at an extraordinary place.

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Quizzy
Wasn't this the manner in which Google pursued its research initiatives under
Schmidt? Total secrecy as to the revenue numbers in order to spend as
necessary on research without objection from the shareholders and analysts.
Something changed when Larry Page took over, or maybe it was a coincidence of
circumstance, but for a short period, Google was an "Idea Factory". Maybe
Facebook under Zuckerberg can be the next Idea Factory.

The clear inference is that the leadership must be strong and unwavering in
the face of shareholder objections that only care about quarterly financials
rather than long term vision. Ellison also comes to mind, but he's lost much
of his visionary spark. Jobs may be the last unless Page and Zuckerberg truly
take on the mantle to pursue fearlessly the vision of an Idea Factory as an
end in itself.

