Innovation and Disruptive Technology - 1650 B.C.
One of the most remarkable pieces I ever read comes from Wilber Smith’s, River God. The story played out during the thirteenth dynasty of Egypt, where Taita (who believes that he is a genius and inventor himself), advisor of the Pharaoh looked at the invading army of the Hyksos with sudden excitement and horror.
It is not so much the chariots, that were at that stage still unknown to the Egyptians that fascinates him. The following went through Taita’s mind as he observes what we call today Disruptive Technology……
For a thousand years, we Egyptians had been the most cultured and civilized men on earth. However, through all our learning and wisdom we had conceived nothing like this. Our sledges churned the earth, and we hauled great blocks of stone over wooden rollers without taking the next logical step.
I stared at the first wheel I had ever seen, and the simplicity and the beauty of it burst upon me. I understood it instantly and scorned myself for not having discovered it my self. It was genius of the highest order, and now I realized that we stood to be destroyed by this wonderful invention.
River God by Wilber Smith