Ben Wilson

He had started a little side hustle himself, and he had a nice little nest egg from it. So they go into business together. The big thing they think they can use it for is on automobile windshields to reduce the glare from other people's headlights. And they also have things in mind like 3D movies and color television. So that's what they have their mind towards.

But those are going to take some time. They have to convince these big car companies and film companies, in the case of 3D movies, to actually use and implement the technology. They can't just go out and do it themselves. And in the meantime, they find a fast, immediate use in creating polarized lenses for sunglasses and creating filters for cameras.

But those are going to take some time. They have to convince these big car companies and film companies, in the case of 3D movies, to actually use and implement the technology. They can't just go out and do it themselves. And in the meantime, they find a fast, immediate use in creating polarized lenses for sunglasses and creating filters for cameras.

So they're selling their technology to American Optical, which is the big manufacturer of sunglasses, and to Kodak for the camera filters. Kodak agrees to a contract for $10,000. They say, okay, this technology looks great. You've demonstrated it. Can you produce it? And they say, yeah, we can produce it. So they get a contract for $10,000. The only problem is they think they can produce it.

So they're selling their technology to American Optical, which is the big manufacturer of sunglasses, and to Kodak for the camera filters. Kodak agrees to a contract for $10,000. They say, okay, this technology looks great. You've demonstrated it. Can you produce it? And they say, yeah, we can produce it. So they get a contract for $10,000. The only problem is they think they can produce it.

They have no idea. They've never produced this stuff at scale. And so they've sold the contract and now they have to actually go out and fulfill. The book Insisting on Obsession has a really good account of what happens next. Quote, It goes on, a marathon effort to produce continuous sheeting began one Christmas Eve and did not end until January 11th.

They have no idea. They've never produced this stuff at scale. And so they've sold the contract and now they have to actually go out and fulfill. The book Insisting on Obsession has a really good account of what happens next. Quote, It goes on, a marathon effort to produce continuous sheeting began one Christmas Eve and did not end until January 11th.

Their machine was working, making continuous sheeting, not wide, but making it. Meanwhile, according to Wheelwright, Din was on the floor sort of crying and working with something, not doing very well. Land asked Wheelwright, George, what is the matter? My wife has gone home and your wife has gone home. All the help has gone home and we're not getting anywhere. They agreed to go home.

Their machine was working, making continuous sheeting, not wide, but making it. Meanwhile, according to Wheelwright, Din was on the floor sort of crying and working with something, not doing very well. Land asked Wheelwright, George, what is the matter? My wife has gone home and your wife has gone home. All the help has gone home and we're not getting anywhere. They agreed to go home.

okay so they're working so hard edwin land is kind of curled up on the floor like crying because not everything is working perfectly land himself also has a great description of this time he says we had air mattresses on the floor in the lab and had food sent in and after working for 20 or 40 hours a man would fall down and we would slip a mattress under him as he fell

okay so they're working so hard edwin land is kind of curled up on the floor like crying because not everything is working perfectly land himself also has a great description of this time he says we had air mattresses on the floor in the lab and had food sent in and after working for 20 or 40 hours a man would fall down and we would slip a mattress under him as he fell

Okay, so they're working so hard. They're having mental breakdowns, crying on the floor of their workshop. They're passing out and just slipping mattresses under people so they don't hit the floor. Like that is the level of obsessive effort they're putting into this to get it off the ground. But of course they figure it out and they deliver the product on time to Kodak.

Okay, so they're working so hard. They're having mental breakdowns, crying on the floor of their workshop. They're passing out and just slipping mattresses under people so they don't hit the floor. Like that is the level of obsessive effort they're putting into this to get it off the ground. But of course they figure it out and they deliver the product on time to Kodak.

At this time, they are staffing up and hiring. Lan learns that he doesn't like working with experts at all. He prefers to work with young, scrappy, smart people, a lot of recent graduates. Quoting again, it says, even then his rule was that if you're doing something new, you shouldn't work near experts.

At this time, they are staffing up and hiring. Lan learns that he doesn't like working with experts at all. He prefers to work with young, scrappy, smart people, a lot of recent graduates. Quoting again, it says, even then his rule was that if you're doing something new, you shouldn't work near experts.

The onlookers might have had something to contribute, but they also could have come up with a lot of bad ideas and obstructed things. One of the great themes I picked up from the life of Edwin Land is the power of just naive optimism, unrelenting belief that something will happen, will work. He was full of this cultivated naivete and brimming with the complete assurance that they can do it.

The onlookers might have had something to contribute, but they also could have come up with a lot of bad ideas and obstructed things. One of the great themes I picked up from the life of Edwin Land is the power of just naive optimism, unrelenting belief that something will happen, will work. He was full of this cultivated naivete and brimming with the complete assurance that they can do it.

They can realize their dreams. They can invent what needs to be invented. A future Polaroid executive named William McCune said of him, one thing about land, when he is doing something wild and risky, he is careful to insulate himself from anyone who's critical. It's very easy in the early stages to have a dream exploded. He's very persistent and he's protective of his persistence.

They can realize their dreams. They can invent what needs to be invented. A future Polaroid executive named William McCune said of him, one thing about land, when he is doing something wild and risky, he is careful to insulate himself from anyone who's critical. It's very easy in the early stages to have a dream exploded. He's very persistent and he's protective of his persistence.

If somebody wants to come around, wants to tell him why it won't work, if he perceives that simply as discouragement of himself, he will throw him out. So he is using this unrelenting, naive optimism and all-out focus to drive the company forward. Another technique he uses is show-don't-tell marketing. So for example, he uses the old fishing trick to sell the president of American Optical.