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IBM still has a research group. Sometimes hiring great researchers and letting them do what they want pays off. AT&T I believe kept a research group for much
by not2b 4y ago
IBM still has a research group.
Sometimes hiring great researchers and letting them do what they want pays off.
AT&T I believe kept a research group for much longer than that and they only invented or co-invented the transistor, the laser, radio astronomy, information theory, Unix, the C language, and the photovoltaic cell.
- trelane 4y ago> Sometimes hiring great researchers and letting them do what they want pays off Almost like research is not a guaranteed thing. Kinda like you're trying to figure out the unknown.
- not2b 4y agoSo is venture capitalism; it's expected that most bets don't pay off and money is made because, if the VC makes good choices, some will pay off hugely. I think it's a matter of hiring the right people and managing them well.
- trelane 4y agoin my experience, management is the problem rather than a hello, let alone the solution
- brutusborn 4y agoMy understanding was that Bell labs was full of researchers from wartime labs. These researchers were used to freedom, quick iteration and a focus on application to wartime efforts. I think it would be hard to replicate this with modern day researchers. There just isn't the same pressure or importance that wartime provides.