Commissioner Carlos Moedas reads “The Innovators – How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution” by Walter Isaacson

Digital technologies have changed the world forever and I have been fascinated by the people behind them since my student days… since the first computer made its way into my life.
Unlike the popular image of the inventor who has a light-bulb moment in their shed and changes history, Walter Isaacson’s Innovators are people who brought about innovation over time and by working with others. As a book, The Innovators is a wonderful reminder that innovation occurs at the crossroads and intersections between people and disciplines.
“Leonardo da Vinci was the exemplar of the creativity that flourishes when the humanities and sciences interact. When Einstein was stymied while working out General Relativity, he would pull out his violin and play Mozart until he could reconnect to what he called the harmony of the spheres.”
I have always believed that creativity and success come from hard work, persistence and collaboration. Isaacson’s The Innovators provides an inclusive history of the digital revolution: highlighting its geniuses but also the environments, support networks and circumstances that helped them on their way. The very things I am interested in as a policymaker.
Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science & Innovation