Ben Wilson

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.

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.

He brings him into a room with a bowl of water next to a window. Imagine this conference room, there's a window, and there's this massive salad bowl next to the window. And he asks the president of American Optical to look at the bull and tells him what he sees. And the answer is nothing. Just glare off the surface. Then he brings out a sheet of polarized film for the president to look through.

He brings him into a room with a bowl of water next to a window. Imagine this conference room, there's a window, and there's this massive salad bowl next to the window. And he asks the president of American Optical to look at the bull and tells him what he sees. And the answer is nothing. Just glare off the surface. Then he brings out a sheet of polarized film for the president to look through.

And then he looks through this polarized sheet and he sees that there are actually fish swimming around in this bull. And this little trick convinces American Optical to partner with Polaroid on developing polarized lenses for some sunglasses. So after they land these two contracts with Kodak and American Optical, this is when they change from Land Wheelwright to Polaroid Corporation.

And then he looks through this polarized sheet and he sees that there are actually fish swimming around in this bull. And this little trick convinces American Optical to partner with Polaroid on developing polarized lenses for some sunglasses. So after they land these two contracts with Kodak and American Optical, this is when they change from Land Wheelwright to Polaroid Corporation.

They bring in some outside capital and really professionalize. One of the early investors they bring in is Louis Strauss, the great Jewish American entrepreneur, who is, I think, unfairly made out to be the bad guy in the movie Oppenheimer. But I just think it's interesting the link between those two. They begin doing public demonstrations to popularize the benefits of polarizers.

They bring in some outside capital and really professionalize. One of the early investors they bring in is Louis Strauss, the great Jewish American entrepreneur, who is, I think, unfairly made out to be the bad guy in the movie Oppenheimer. But I just think it's interesting the link between those two. They begin doing public demonstrations to popularize the benefits of polarizers.

And the company really starts taking off, mostly through their contract with Kodak. Unfortunately, at this time, Wheelwright leaves the company. The bankers who they had received investment from want them to have professional management, you know, adults in the room. So they bring in a Rockefeller man to run things. And so this leaves Wheelwright in an awkward position.

And the company really starts taking off, mostly through their contract with Kodak. Unfortunately, at this time, Wheelwright leaves the company. The bankers who they had received investment from want them to have professional management, you know, adults in the room. So they bring in a Rockefeller man to run things. And so this leaves Wheelwright in an awkward position.

He had been the business guy, right? Edwin Land was really the inventor and Wheelwright was someone who was technical enough to understand what they were doing, but he was more the businessman. And, um, so he voluntarily decides to leave the company. He doesn't want to be a burden on what they're doing on land. And he's starting to feel just like an anger, the company.

He had been the business guy, right? Edwin Land was really the inventor and Wheelwright was someone who was technical enough to understand what they were doing, but he was more the businessman. And, um, so he voluntarily decides to leave the company. He doesn't want to be a burden on what they're doing on land. And he's starting to feel just like an anger, the company.