Edison's contractual simplicity
"Be, simple, reliable, practical"
[ MAIN IDEA ]
The second requirement for Edison's 1870 contract for an autographic telegraph: simplicity.
The sixth requirement says the same in different words: "Have no elaborate preparation..."
If Edison could invent new ways to communicate in the 19th century with simplicity...we should be able to build CRUD apps in 2026 with simplicity.
For anyone else who didn’t know what an automatic telegraph was: Think of it like a pre-internet fax machine. They’d transmit exact copies of handwritten writing or line drawings over electrical wires twice as fast as Morse code operators could.
[ INSPO ]
Keep Software Simple@SimpleCodeGood
They have to be able to trust you, and that you’re not just doing what’s expedient for you—you’re thinking about the long term. You’re being honest. You understand what you’re talking about, and you can explain it simply.
-- @naval on sales
8:00 PM · Aug 7, 2026 · 4 Views
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[ MORE ]
Naval’s advice on simple sales (substack.com). TL;DR - Make it good, then tell the truth.