Multinational Western Union made a mistake
Posted: Tue May 27, 2025 5:02 am
Invention & innovationalexander graham bell
In 1875 there was a young innocent man who started his own private tutoring practice. His name was Aleck. In his class was a young girl he was madly in love with. She came from a good background and Aleck was in comparison just an 'ordinary teacher'. Still he was madly in love with her. There was only one problem. The girl, named Mabel, was deaf. Aleck was a private tutor for the deaf. Aleck's mother was also deaf and this had prompted Aleck to become a private tutor for the deaf.
Mabel's parents would rather see Aleck leave than come. Aleck was asked several times not to come list to data near her anymore. Aleck would get her love and he almost knew how. In addition to his profession as a private teacher, Aleck was also an inventor: he was about to make one of the world's greatest inventions. His full name was Aleck Graham Bell , the man who would show the world the telephone (as can be read in the book Electric Universe by David Bodanis).
invention_innovation
Who came first?
Innovation always follows invention. Invention and innovation are sometimes marketed by the same person, but sometimes separately. There is a big difference between an inventor and an innovator:
“In its purest sense, 'invention' can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of a process for the first time. 'Innovation', on the other hand, occurs if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process or service.”
A thread between two pieces of paper
The telephone was invented by Aleck Graham Bell. He did this by stretching a wire between two pieces of paper. By talking to the first piece of paper, it starts to vibrate. This vibration is transferred to the paper on the other side, which creates a similar vibration and therefore a similar sound. Aleck based this invention on the technology of the telegraph, which is all about deciphering codes.
At first Aleck tried to sell his invention to Western Union . But they didn't see any profit in it. So Aleck started his own company (Bell Telephone Company), which was then bought by AT&T (now the world's largest telecom company).
It often happens that the inventor himself sees a market in it. It is often the multinationals that are satisfied with their current business and do not respond to the changing market. Western Union later explains:
“In only a few years Western Union's president would acknowledge that it was a serious business error, one that nearly led to his company later almost being swallowed up by the newly emerging telecommunications giant that Bell Telephone would shortly evolve into”.
Ideal: the mix of invention & innovation
But sometimes it goes differently. For example, the light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, and Anton Philips became rich with it in the 20th century. It is often the innovator with the commercial insights. For the inventor, it is often a hobby or an extraordinary interest in science. A mix of invention and innovation is the ideal.
In 1875 there was a young innocent man who started his own private tutoring practice. His name was Aleck. In his class was a young girl he was madly in love with. She came from a good background and Aleck was in comparison just an 'ordinary teacher'. Still he was madly in love with her. There was only one problem. The girl, named Mabel, was deaf. Aleck was a private tutor for the deaf. Aleck's mother was also deaf and this had prompted Aleck to become a private tutor for the deaf.
Mabel's parents would rather see Aleck leave than come. Aleck was asked several times not to come list to data near her anymore. Aleck would get her love and he almost knew how. In addition to his profession as a private teacher, Aleck was also an inventor: he was about to make one of the world's greatest inventions. His full name was Aleck Graham Bell , the man who would show the world the telephone (as can be read in the book Electric Universe by David Bodanis).
invention_innovation
Who came first?
Innovation always follows invention. Invention and innovation are sometimes marketed by the same person, but sometimes separately. There is a big difference between an inventor and an innovator:
“In its purest sense, 'invention' can be defined as the creation of a product or introduction of a process for the first time. 'Innovation', on the other hand, occurs if someone improves on or makes a significant contribution to an existing product, process or service.”
A thread between two pieces of paper
The telephone was invented by Aleck Graham Bell. He did this by stretching a wire between two pieces of paper. By talking to the first piece of paper, it starts to vibrate. This vibration is transferred to the paper on the other side, which creates a similar vibration and therefore a similar sound. Aleck based this invention on the technology of the telegraph, which is all about deciphering codes.
At first Aleck tried to sell his invention to Western Union . But they didn't see any profit in it. So Aleck started his own company (Bell Telephone Company), which was then bought by AT&T (now the world's largest telecom company).
It often happens that the inventor himself sees a market in it. It is often the multinationals that are satisfied with their current business and do not respond to the changing market. Western Union later explains:
“In only a few years Western Union's president would acknowledge that it was a serious business error, one that nearly led to his company later almost being swallowed up by the newly emerging telecommunications giant that Bell Telephone would shortly evolve into”.
Ideal: the mix of invention & innovation
But sometimes it goes differently. For example, the light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, and Anton Philips became rich with it in the 20th century. It is often the innovator with the commercial insights. For the inventor, it is often a hobby or an extraordinary interest in science. A mix of invention and innovation is the ideal.