I think thomas edison was a fraud and an idiot what do you think?

Question:

I think thomas edison was a fraud and an idiot what do you think?

If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search... I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety per cent of his labor.
Nikola Tesla, New York Times, October 19, 1931

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Edison was a very 'modern' sort of businessman: that is, someone very skilled at building tollgates across roads that others had constructed- a coupon clipper, credit- and ideas-stealer.

It is a testimony to his effectiveness that so many respondents have reacted so angrily to your question- in most cases, history exposes those who steal credit from others, but Edison is so much a part of American mythology that you offend people just by questioning his status! Certainly he stole many of Tesla's ideas, and made sure Tesla got nothing... not just less than he deserved, Edison was determined to steal EVERYTHING. Edison for instance though DC power supply was the way of the future, but it was dead end. He was wrong, but no matter, just steal the ideas of those who advocated AC.

Certainly Tesla was very naive, and a more suspicious man would have been better at guarding his ideas from a charlatan like Edison. In fact, these sorts of happenings were quite common among the eccentric inventors of the period 1850-1940.

Edison did have some good ideas, but mostly he just took the credit for others, and he was an utterly ruthless businessman- many of you might say 'so what?' but you should at least reconsider your apparent image of Edison as an inquiring pioneer. Those who have attacked you should do a bit of reading.