The New Rules of Innovation: Carl Bass (Full Transcript)

Here is the transcript and summary of Carl Bass’ talk titled “The New Rules of Innovation” at TEDxBerkeley conference. In this TEDx talk, Carl Bass discusses the new rules of innovation and the importance of embracing technological advancements to solve challenges. He emphasizes the need for individuals to take chances, challenge beliefs, and break the rules to innovate.

Listen to the audio version here:

TRANSCRIPT:

One of my favorite films of all time is The Princess Bride. And in it, one of the main characters keeps on saying, inconceivable. And his partner in crime, after hearing him say it over and over again, turns to him and says, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

And I think the same thing can be said about innovation. Everybody’s using the word, but I do not think it means what they think it means.

So why is everybody talking about innovation? After all, it’s not invention. It’s not scientific discovery. And it’s certainly not mathematical proof. But here’s why I think it’s so important. Innovation is the process by which we change the world. Innovation, to put it simply, is about making things better. It’s about making things better in significant and hopefully meaningful ways. It’s the practical application of ideas and technologies to make new and better things.

Now, innovation is hard. It requires taking chances. It requires challenging those things we think we know with certainty. It’s about taking risks and breaking the rules. At Autodesk, we make software tools. We make tools for people who make film and games. We make tools for the people who design and engineer the built environment. And we make tools for people who design and manufacture the things that are all around us.