I understand the ecosystem and work in the design industry. I am not downplaying the value of startups or saying investing in them are bad things at all. I say in the essay that some great thinking/innovation is coming from startups and will continue to. However, people that make a living in the technology and design industry will sooner or later have to consider what we are building. Unfortunately, this is only an excerpt and doesn't allow for the complete context. I go into some products/startups that are solving some interesting problems.

Thanks for the feedback.

Cowen is talking about major/radical innovation, not iterative/incremental change. Yes, a microwave is significant if you have only ever used a stove. But going from a live fireplace to the other technology he mentions is a major change.

>> Yes, a microwave is significant if you have only ever used a stove. But going from a live fireplace to the other technology he mentions is a major change.

I would argue that the microwave oven is a significant innovation because it's not based on burning fuel -- wood or gas -- as was done in previous stoves.

True, but to be fair, radical innovation is usually the low-hanging fruit of some new discovery.