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Tsung Xu's avatar

Bell Labs effectively became outsourced R&D for many technologies post WW2 like solar PV as you pointed out.

I also think one challenge with recreating it today is the financial context. Most of Bell's inventions came prior to the financialization of corporate America. Before MBAs ran companies to quarterly results, before buyouts ran companies into the ground, before buybacks sapped $10s of billions of potential R&D from previously innovative companies.

The only types of companies today which could hope to do exploratory R&D on any scale approaching Bell would have to be founder-run with full board support and preferably privately held. Elon's companies, Zuck, Bezos and James Dyson's R&D efforts come to mind.

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Scott's avatar

My grandfather worked at Bell Labs. By accident.

In WWII he was a Navy Combat Engineer aka a Seabee aka a construction foreman for building concrete bunkers under fire.

After the war he joined the Navy reserve and moved to California. At one point, he was called up to help pour concrete for a school.

Then came Korea, and he received mobilization orders. Report to Seoul for duty as a JaG.

Well, that didn’t sound right, as he’d never had any legal training whatsoever, but if the Navy tells you to show up, you show up. So he showed up in Seoul ready for duty. And pointed out the error to his CO.

And his CO said that no, that’s not right. It says right here in your service record that you were “instrumental in building the foundation for a new school of law”

So, there had been a screwup. But, the Navy had their man that they asked for. And if he wasn’t ready for the job, well, that’s what Navy training is for!!!

So they taught him how the navy procurement system works. What documents you need. What clearances must be in place. And he spent the war in Seoul supporting Navy contracting.

After the war, he went straight to Bell Labs. And told them “hey! I’m a navy procurement officer. So, I’m an expert in what you need to do if you want to sign contracts with the US Navy. What requirements you have to meet, what clearances must be obtained and how to obtain them. And I know the people involved and how to work with them. That kind of stuff. Do you guys have any interest in someone like that?”

So, he ended up setting aside the concrete pouring and worked for Bell Labs for the rest of his career.

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