They also laughed. We kept the tape.
It can sound ridiculous right up until it sounds obvious.
Have a listen
7 in the set 0 played
The second quarter
“Who would want that?” can become “Well, obviously” remarkably quickly.
It’s worth remembering the gap. Especially when you’re the person laughing.
Of course, being laughed at doesn’t make you right. This is a selection of misses, not a test for a good idea.
About the quotations
Some of these stories have travelled further than their sources. The Western Union memo and the Warner and Zanuck remarks are widely repeated, but their exact wording and attribution are uncertain. They are marked in the player. Decca’s rejection is real; the line attached to it comes from later accounts.
The Times editorial appeared on October 9, 1903, 69 days before the Wright brothers’ first powered flight. Stoll’s essay appeared in Newsweek in February 1995. Those two entries are summaries, not verbatim quotations. Ballmer’s 2007 remarks were recorded on video.
The famous “world market for maybe five computers” line is left out because its attribution to Thomas Watson is doubtful. A memorable quote still needs a source.
The laughing is free.
Building is the part that costs something.