Genius, Innovation, and Jealousy: The Story of Bell Labs

For most of the 20th century, Bell Labs was the beating heart of American innovation. Founded in 1925 as the research arm of AT&T and Western Electric, it was the world’s preeminent industrial research laboratory. If you used a phone, accessed the internet, or wrote code, you were benefiting from Bell Labs' innovations—even if you didn’t realize it. Bell Labs wasn’t just another corporate R&D division; it was a nation-state-level research operation embedded within the private sector. It didn’t just respond to markets—it created them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices