Title Brilliant!

Author Bob Johnstone

Publisher Prometheus Books

Description

Part biography, part history, and part prediction based on extrapolation from contemporary trends, Brilliant! draws on extensive interviews conducted over many years with key industry players, innovators, and the prime mover himself, Shuji Nakamura. It traces Nakamura’s humble origins in rural Japan, the path that led to his breakthroughs, his subsequent emergence from out of nowhere onto the world stage, his acrimonious falling-out with his employer, his flight to the United States, and his battles to win just rewards for downtrodden researchers back home. The book also tracks the history of the “disruptive” technology of LEDs – the birth and explosive growth of a new, solid-state lighting industry as seen through the experiences of the dynamic entrepreneurs at start-up companies who had the vision and the will to implement it. An extraordinary tale, eloquently told, and lavishly illustrated that will appeal to techies and non-techies alike.