Problem: Invention and Innovation
Nikola Tesla, a versatile physicist, electrician, mechanic, and inventor. Thanks to financial assistance from JP Morgan, Tesla then designed and built the Wardenclyffe Tower, a giant wireless power transmission station, in New 1'r'oriI: around 19(11-1902. Morgan hopes the tower will provide a means of wireless communication around the world. However, Tesla had other plans. Through this tower, Tesla plans to distribute free electricity to all people.
Tesla wanted this tower to be able to send messages, telephone lines, and even facsimile print across the Atlantic to England and to ships sailing on the ocean. Not only that, if this project is successful, he believes that everyone can enjoy electricity from this tower which is channeled through the ground, without any cable connections. The method itself is to collect heat energy from the earth and the surrounding air which is then converted into electrical energy.
Unfortunately, the existence of free electricity means no business benefits. And this system can seriously harm the interests of world elites because it can drastically change the energy industry. Try to imagine, what would happen if people did not need oil and coal to do their activities? It is for this reason that JP Morgan has refused to finance this follow-up project. This project was abandoned in 1906 and never continued.
Task
Reflecting on this case, what is your argument regarding the problem of innovation that is not supported by technical (financial) resources? What do you think Tesla should have done at that point?