Lots of great discussion here about the Segway's severe problems with product-market fit. It's all true, and it's all quite poignant. But in the spirit of comp

Lots of great discussion here about the Segway's severe problems with product-market fit. It's all true, and it's all quite poignant. But in the spirit of completeness, let's take a moment to think about the messed-up people dynamics, too. After all, it's still worth wondering why a visionary CEO and some very smart engineers could go so far off course. There's a fascinating fly-on-the-wall account of Segway's origins in "Code Name Ginger," a 2003 book by Steve Kemper. (Review is here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB105581785554884900 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB105581785554884900) Two key insights: Founder Dean Kamen sounds like an A+ visionary but a quite terrifying PM, with many sudden, late changes that took a toll on the project. Also, having both Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs as investors -- who would weigh in (at the same meeting!) with ideas about how to fix everything -- sounds a lot like putting your wet fingers in a wall socket. Or swallowing an 90-day supply of meds all at once. Too much genius, in too many directions, is a peril in its own right