How Innovation Works

Building on his previous work, Matt Ridley explores the complex history of innovation, emphasizing its often unpredictable, collaborative, and incremental nature rooted in human exchange. Through engaging stories spanning millennia to the near future, he illustrates how innovations—from technological breakthroughs to societal advances—shape and reflect our modern world. Ridley urges a deeper understanding of innovation as a bottom-up process, highlighting its significance and vulnerability in the face of policy and societal influences.