The John Batchelor Show
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor Show.
Arthur Herman, Part Two Spans the 20th and 21st centuries
37 minutes Posted Aug 31, 2026 at 1:36 am.
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Arthur Herman, Part Two: This segment spans the 20th and 21st centuries, examining how the bold "founder mindset" conflicts with cautious "manager" mentalities. Herman discusses Woodrow Wilson's failed, heavily bureaucratized WWI mobilization in contrast to FDR's highly successful private-sector approach during WWII, spearheaded by GM's Bill Knudsen. Post-war, Vannevar Bush's federal funding for basic research laid the groundwork for Silicon Valley, information theory, and the microchip. Lastly, the discussion touches on modern paradigm-shifting founders, including civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., SpaceX and Tesla pioneer Elon Musk, and developer turned president Donald Trump. (2)