Bells Quote by Walter Isaacson
“On the day he unveiled the Macintosh, a reporter from Popular Science asked Jobs what type of market research he had done. Jobs responded by scoffing, "Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Walter Isaacson Biography, 2011
Jobs argues that breakthrough inventions precede market research; intuition and vision drive innovation more than data.
In simple terms: Great ideas come before market studies.
Trust intuition over data.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- product launch
- startup
- R&D
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you rely on data or intuition?
- When should you ignore market feedback?
Market research can miss transformative possibilities.