Insisting on the Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land
, subject: Edwin Land, inventor of instant photography and founder of Polaroid, 1998
A study of Edwin Land’s refusal of me-too products and his vision of R&D organized through many small corporations.
About the book
The biography follows Land from his early experiments with polarizing filters through the creation and growth of Polaroid, placing instant photography alongside his broader scientific research and company-building.
Why read it
Best if you want to examine the link between differentiated products and an R&D structure built from many small corporations, or you are tracing Steve Jobs’s influences.
Key themes
- Differentiation begins with what a company refuses
- R&D can be organized as many small companies
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #40, #47, #59, #78, #132, #133, #189, #249, #257, #263, #291
David describes Insisting on the Impossible as by far the most comprehensive Edwin Land biography, though not the easiest read.
- Insisting On The Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land and Instant: The Story of Polaroid — David opens the episode with a direct quote from this book's introduction and names it as a primary source.
- Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way — David attributes Edwin Land's idea for a decentralized research-and-development company to Insisting on the Impossible.
- Howard Hughes: The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire — David returns to the book's account of Land's model for a research-and-development organization made up of many small corporations.
- Charlie Munger (the Tao of Charlie Munger) — David recommends this Edwin Land biography as essential reading to understand Steve Jobs's influences.
- Edwin Land (Steve Jobs's Hero) — David mentions he previously covered this Edwin Land biography on Founders #40.
- Edwin Land (Polaroid and The Man Who Invented It) — David points listeners to Founders No. 40 for additional Edwin Land background via 'Insisting on the Impossible.'