--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bell Labs was a fantastic research…" description: "\"Bell Labs was a fantastic research organization but having them create and market new products for the world was terrible. They were not good marketers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/martin-cooper-6928_engineers_bell-labs-was-a-fantastic-research-organ_2816258.jpg" --- # Bell Labs was a fantastic research organization but having… ![“Bell Labs was a fantastic research organization but having them create and market new products for the world was terrible. They were not good marketers and yet it was AT&T engineers who were deciding what the products of the future were.” quote by Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/martin-cooper-6928_engineers_bell-labs-was-a-fantastic-research-organ_2816258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/martin-cooper-6928_engineers_bell-labs-was-a-fantastic-research-organ_2816258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e7/martin-cooper-6928_engineers_bell-labs-was-a-fantastic-research-organ_2816258.jpg) > “Bell Labs was a fantastic research organization but having them create and market new products for the world was terrible. They were not good marketers and yet it was AT&T engineers who were deciding what the products of the future were.” [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bell Labs excelled at research but struggled with product marketing, leaving AT&T engineers to shape future tech. **In simple terms:** Great research needs good marketing to succeed. Key Takeaway Combine innovation with market insight. Themes research innovation marketing technology leadership Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - tech startups - R&D departments - product launch planning Key Concepts product development technology diffusion corporate strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can research teams improve market relevance? - What role should engineers play in product strategy? A Different Perspective Great research alone may not guarantee commercial success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“What made Bell Labs fundamentally different had as much to do with antitrust law as the geniuses it attracted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/what-made-bell-labs-fundamentally-different-had-as-much-to-do-with/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Lester Germer was my first supervisor at Bell Labs. He was the Germer of the Davisson and Germer Experiment that is sometimes referred to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-boyle/lester-germer-was-my-first-supervisor-at-bell-labs-he-was-the-germer/) Willard Boyle > [My father worked for Bell Labs. Hence, I knew very much about the place. I knew it because also he was involved with telephony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/my-father-worked-for-bell-labs-hence-i-knew-very-much-about-the-place/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [“Radios, vacuum tubes, transistors, televisions, solar cells, coaxial cables, laser beams, microprocessors, computers, cell phones, fiber optics—all these essential tools of modern life descend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/radios-vacuum-tubes-transistors-televisions-solar-cells-coaxial/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Some consider UNIX to be the second most important invention to come out of AT&T Bell Labs after the transistor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/some-consider-unix-to-be-the-second-most-important-invention-to-come/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [My mom is a science teacher in high school, and one of my brothers works in optics at Bell Labs, and so I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-mom-is-a-science-teacher-in-high-school-and-one-of-my-brothers/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“In 1958 AT&T, the owner of Bell Labs, was served with an antitrust court order that forbade it to ever enter the computer business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-rao/in-1958-at-t-the-owner-of-bell-labs-was-served-with-an-antitrust/) Arun Rao > [It was at Bell Labs that I first made direct contact with real semiconductor experts and thus began to fully understand what amazing materials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/it-was-at-bell-labs-that-i-first-made-direct-contact-with-real/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [“The theory of serendipitous creativity, in other words, seems well justified by the historical record. The transistor, we can argue with some confidence, probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-theory-of-serendipitous-creativity-in-other-words-seems-well/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [But when researchers at Bell Labs discovered that static tends to come from particular places in the sky, the whole field of radio astronomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/but-when-researchers-at-bell-labs-discovered-that-static-tends-to/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [Bell Labs Cafeteria, New York, 1943: His high pitched voice already stood out above the general murmur of well-behaved junior executives grooming themselves for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-turing/bell-labs-cafeteria-new-york-1943-his-high-pitched-voice-already/) [Alan Turing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-turing/) > [“In 1948, while working for Bell Telephone Laboratories, he published a paper in the Bell System Technical Journal entitled "A Mathematical Theory of Communication"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/in-1948-while-working-for-bell-telephone-laboratories-he-published-a/) [Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/) > [I like to think about the future and how things can be done better than they are now. That's what engineers do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/i-like-to-think-about-the-future-and-how-things-can-be-done-better/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Engineers and entrepreneurs are fundamentally dissatisfied with the way the world is and want to make it better. There are so many things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/engineers-and-entrepreneurs-are-fundamentally-dissatisfied-with-the/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [I had always assumed that the right way to do it was to these engineers, put them in offices by themselves with doors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-had-always-assumed-that-the-right-way-to-do-it-was-to-these/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) ## More by Martin Cooper > [Just think of what a world it would be if we could measure the characteristics of your body when you get sick and transmit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/just-think-of-what-a-world-it-would-be-if-we-could-measure-the/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [The future of cellular telephony is to make people's lives better - the most important way, in my view, will be the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/the-future-of-cellular-telephony-is-to-make-people-s-lives-better-the/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Cellular phones will absolutely not replace local wire systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/cellular-phones-will-absolutely-not-replace-local-wire-systems/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [People are mobile. They move around, and anytime they want to communicate, if you tie them to the wall or the wires, you're restricting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/people-are-mobile-they-move-around-and-anytime-they-want-to/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [I have a mantra that people are naturally, fundamentally and inherently mobile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/i-have-a-mantra-that-people-are-naturally-fundamentally-and/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [As I walked down the street while talking on the phone, sophisticated New Yorkers gaped at the sight of someone actually moving around while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/as-i-walked-down-the-street-while-talking-on-the-phone-sophisticated/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [My favourite example of good technology is the automobile. I travel all over the world and if I want to drive a car anywhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/my-favourite-example-of-good-technology-is-the-automobile-i-travel/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [It doesn't take a cell phone to make a person rude. There are rude people all over the place. But people are learning. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/it-doesn-t-take-a-cell-phone-to-make-a-person-rude-there-are-rude/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [If you think you can experience the power of the Internet on a 1-inch screen, you've got to be out of your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/if-you-think-you-can-experience-the-power-of-the-internet-on-a-1-inch/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [We should be focused on how to make people's lives better. That is the purpose of technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/we-should-be-focused-on-how-to-make-people-s-lives-better-that-is-the/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Engineers and entrepreneurs are fundamentally dissatisfied with the way the world is and want to make it better. There are so many things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/engineers-and-entrepreneurs-are-fundamentally-dissatisfied-with-the/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [We predicted the concept of a telephone that isn't tied to a wall or a desk. We anticipated that everyone would have a cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/we-predicted-the-concept-of-a-telephone-that-isn-t-tied-to-a-wall-or/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [The only thing that was in my mind when we made that first phone call was, 'Is it going to work?' We had all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/the-only-thing-that-was-in-my-mind-when-we-made-that-first-phone-call/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Privacy is a thing of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/privacy-is-a-thing-of-the-past/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [I think projects often fail because people do not have a clear understanding at the start what they are trying to deliver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/i-think-projects-often-fail-because-people-do-not-have-a-clear/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) [Explore all 96 Martin Cooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) ## More Engineers quotes > [I had always assumed that the right way to do it was to these engineers, put them in offices by themselves with doors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-had-always-assumed-that-the-right-way-to-do-it-was-to-these/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) Daniel Burka > [There is no demand for women engineers, as such, as there are for women doctors; but there's always a demand for anyone who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-clarke/there-is-no-demand-for-women-engineers-as-such-as-there-are-for-women/) Edith Clarke > [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [ \[An engineer's\] invention causes things to come into existence from ideas, makes world conform to thought; whereas science, by deriving ideas from observation, makes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-mitcham/an-engineer-s-invention-causes-things-to-come-into-existence-from/) Carl Mitcham > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Of course, I have given my engineers some headaches over the years, but they go with me. I have always wanted my buildings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-niemeyer/of-course-i-have-given-my-engineers-some-headaches-over-the-years-but/) [Oscar Niemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-niemeyer/) > [One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-sherwood/one-out-of-every-eight-pennsylvanians-and-one-in-every-720-people-in/) [Don Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-sherwood/) > [“In all other construction disciplines, engineers plan a construction strategy that craftmen execute. Engineers don't build bridges; ironworkers do. Only in software is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cooper/in-all-other-construction-disciplines-engineers-plan-a-construction/) [Alan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cooper/) > [Engineers love to optimize problems. Now I optimize logistical problems. I ask: 'What's the goal? What are our constraints? What is the optimal, elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruchi-sanghvi/engineers-love-to-optimize-problems-now-i-optimize-logistical/) [Ruchi Sanghvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruchi-sanghvi/) > [I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-ve-often-thought-that-if-planners-were-botanists-zoologists/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Everyone told me you can't build a major tech company in Canada. There just aren't enough investors or engineers or top-level managers. Each day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/everyone-told-me-you-can-t-build-a-major-tech-company-in-canada-there/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [Writers are engineers of human souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yury-olesha/writers-are-engineers-of-human-souls/) Yury Olesha [Browse all 714 Engineers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bell Labs was a fantastic research organization but having them create and market new products for the world was terrible. 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