Innovation is a Cruel Game

Innovation is a trial and error process. Not all breakthrough ideas lead to successful products or services. Sometimes, the technology or infrastructure of the time is not advanced enough to bring a concept to fruition. Early inventors often struggle to reap the rewards of their daring innovations while later adopters learn from early failures and build a better solution on better technology. Patents can be a useful tool to protect new ideas, but it may not be enough. A truly radical invention may require waiting a few decades for the technology to catch up to its promise.