Gamechangers: Reinventing the wheel

11/08/21 • 30 min

Who first thought of putting wheels on suitcases and why did this seemingly obvious idea not take off until the 1990s? In the final episode of our series on how innovation works, we explore how the adoption of an idea can be hampered by social attitudes and prejudices. In the case of the wheeled suitcase, it wasn’t a change in technology that made the difference—instead, the crucial change took place inside people’s heads. Tom Standage hosts.

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For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Gamechangers: Mobile money

Paying for things using your phone has become far more widespread during the pandemic. But Western consumers are playing catch-up. Mobile payments have been widespread for more than a decade in Africa, and in particular in Kenya, where the world’s first successful mobile-money system, called M-PESA, was launched in 2007. Why did it take off in Kenya first, how did users shape the development of the product—and what does this story reveal about innovation? Tom Standage hosts

For full access to The Economist’s print, digital and audio editions subscribe at economist.com/podcastoffer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.