Invention: A Life
Ratings4
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings4
Average rating4.5
Dyson has become a byword for high performing products, technology, design and invention. Now, James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life. Famously, over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5127 prototypes of the cyclonic vacuum cleaner that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In devoting all his resources to iteratively developing the technology, he risked it all, but out ofmany failures and setbacks came hard-fought success. His products - including vacuum cleaners, hair dryers and hair stylers, and fans and purifiers - are not only revolutionary technologies, but design classics. This was a legacy of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous artists, designers and inventors of the era, as well as his engineering heroes such as Frank Whittle and Alec Issigonis. In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world. It is a compelling and dramatic tale, with many obstacles overcome. Dyson has always looked to the future, even setting up his own university to help provide the next generation of engineers and designers. For, as he says, 'everything changes all the time, so experience is of little use'. Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product, an aspiring entrepreneur, whether you appreciate great design or a page-turning read, Invention: A Life offers you inspiration, hope and much more.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not what I expected (and barely squeaked by with 4 stars because it gave me some interesting insights into the UK and Europe)... if you want to learn about design perspectives, you will be disappointed. If you want to hear rebuttals to every semi-public negative exposure of the author, you're in luck! But, overall, still a decent read IF you already think it might be a decent read.
I was always a big fan of Dyson products and this book pretty much solidified my views about the company. They really care about engineerins details and will go against the grain if it means they might create a better product. They believe in family ownership of the company which I could not agree more. I see Dyson's values as a sort of hybrid between Apple and Patagonia.
Though there are many things I disagree with James - mainly patents. He thinks they should be easier to get and longer lasting to increase competitive advantage of companies / patent owners. I think this would increase patent trolls and be a huge net negative. He claims no one would invest time and money into producing things if patents would be less protected. But we only need to look at open source software or Wikipedia to see that is clearly not the case.
He's also a proponent for Brexit since he claims European countries always want to get their own way and since there is so much lobbying going on in EU that ends up hurting Dyson. While I agree that there's way too much lobbying and it being detrimental to EU citizens, it's naïve to believe same thing does and will not happen in UK alone. Also, precisely because UK always wants things their own way, is why we all ended up in this mess.
But all in all it is a good autobiography and I can certainly recommend a read.
