Is Steve Jobs the 2nd Greatest Innovator of All Time?

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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Is Steve Jobs the 2nd Greatest Innovator of All Time?



A poll suggests the Apple CEO is second only to Thomas Edison.

Apple has made some great products. The personal computer is a better machine due to some of what happened on Steve Jobs' watch. But to call him an innovator is just wrong, at least to me. He invented nothing. Steve Wozniak was the technology guy behind much of what Apple did in the 80s, while Jobs was the leader and businessman. When an MIT poll asked 18-25 year olds who the greatest innovator of all time was, the majority (52 percent) blessedly chose Thomas Edison, the man who invented the light bulb and the phonograph, among many others [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Edison_patents]. Still, 24 percent of you young whippersnappers needs to get a slap to the face for even putting Steve Jobs on the list.

Oddly enough, the designer of the survey thinks Jobs should have won, or at least there should be some modern people other than Jobs and Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg on the list. "Here we have this innovation role model who has changed the way we live and yet young people still go back to Thomas Edison," said Leigh Estabrooks who led the Lemelson-MIT Program. "While he did great and wonderful things, most of his work was in the 1880s."

She says this as if the passage of time makes Edison's contributions to society less important, but at least her heart is in the right place. Estabrooks is concerned with these results because she wants to foster a spirit of innovation in America's schools, something she sees as lacking.

"The sooner we can share with kids the things they can do with science, technology, engineering and math, the better off we'll be," she said. "It is awfully hard to catch up with the math once you're in high school and almost impossible once you're in college. And it is hard. Therefore mentors can help by encouraging students to stick with it."

That's a noble goal, but I don't think you need to tout Steve Jobs to make it a reality. He was a great CEO, don't get me wrong, a great leader, but he didn't invent anything. Jobs organized people to invent things for him, which is not exactly what you want to use as an example to young people to encourage them to be innovators themselves.

Source: MSNBC [http://futureoftech.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/25/10235960-steve-jobs-second-greatest-innovator-of-all-time?chromedomain=cosmiclog]

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Nouw

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Mar 18, 2009
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I thought Thomas Edison copied everyone's ideas. Damn it school education and internet clashing!

EDIT:I remember what the book I read was going on about now. I don't think it's fair to name someone as the greatest innovator since many times in history two or more people are working on the same idea near the same time.
 

BlackStar42

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Jan 23, 2010
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OK, that's just depressing. The winner is a thief who stole everything from Tesla and invented the goddamned electric chair as a marketing device. If this is for the greatest innovator of all time, why not Alan Turing or Tim Berners-Lee? I'd say what they did ranks far, far higher than making an overpriced mp3 player.
 

JokerboyJordan

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Sep 6, 2009
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BlackStar42 said:
OK, that's just depressing. The winner is a thief who stole everything from Tesla and invented the goddamned electric chair as a marketing device. If this is for the greatest innovator of all time, why not Alan Turing or Tim Berners-Lee? I'd say what they did ranks far, far higher than making an overpriced mp3 player.
I absolutely agree with you, there are far, far, more deserving people on should be on that list.

But alas, America.
 

Antari

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Nov 4, 2009
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Obviously history has taken a serious back seat since I went to school. This list is just shocking.
 

Soviet Heavy

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Jan 22, 2010
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"Most of his work is from the 1880s"



I wonder when I'll be able to catch up to Edisons 1950's inventions.
 

Plinglebob

Team Stupid-Face
Nov 11, 2008
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I'm so glad I had already lost my faith in humanity otherwise this pole would have made me shoot myself/someone. Steve Jobs was a fantastic businessman but nowhere close to number 2 innovator.
 

fix-the-spade

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Feb 25, 2008
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If people taught history properly, Edison wouldn't even be on that list, the man was a patent troll and a thug.

Also, a list of innovators that does not include Da Vinci (or Tesla?!?). I despair!
 

number2301

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Apr 27, 2008
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fix-the-spade said:
If people taught history properly, Edison wouldn't even be on that list, the man was a patent troll and a thug.

Also, a list of innovators that does not include Da Vinci (or Tesla?!?). I despair!
I thought very much the same where the hell is Da Vinci?
 

Domehammer

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Jun 17, 2011
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Steve jobs did little compared to Tesla... speaking of that why isn't Tesla #2 or #1? He contributed a lot but guess it's more a popularity contest.
 

BrotherRool

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Oct 31, 2008
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fix-the-spade said:
If people taught history properly, Edison wouldn't even be on that list, the man was a patent troll and a thug.

Also, a list of innovators that does not include Da Vinci (or Tesla?!?). I despair!
I don't think Da Vinci would count. To be an innovator you have to have the drive to see things through (never mind checking if they actually work) and he didn't do that. He was the Worlds Greatest Dreamer and also the World Greatest Procrastinator who was so good at it, that people kept mistaking his procrastinations for work and yet he even procrastinated with his procrastinations.

I'm iffy about Edison, I'm aware that he was a bit of a businessman and a lot of his 'inventions' essentially stem from him being better at saying they were his than anyone else, but I can't think of more suitable products and whoever was responsible he was good at seeing them come to the market. Joseph Swan may have invented the lightbulb, but that was his only big thing and the same can't be said for Edison.

James Watt and Humphry Davy should have been on that list
 

soren7550

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Dec 18, 2008
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Khanaris said:
Why is Amelia Earhart on this list?
I was wondering the same as well. Is it because of her disappearance we now have the Bermuda Triangle myth? I don't know if that even started with her! *goes off to wikipedia*
 

maddawg IAJI

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Feb 12, 2009
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Where the hell is Da Vinci and Tesla damnit!? Why is Amelia Earhart there? Why is Zuckerberg or Jobs there as well as if they did anything other then act as the face of their company. And why the hell should time be a problem when dealing with something such as 'innovator of all time.'

Please. someone teach these kids what innovation means.