Robert Buderi has produced a work of impressive detail - a thoroughly documented account of the workings of the world’s leading
research labs. The book carefully follows the financial swings of the R&D effort, and closely examines the increasing pressure on researchers to turn a quick buck. The history of this critical economic component is probably unknown to most readers, and Buderi tells an engrossing tale. The book’s one inescapable shortcoming, however, is the fact that Buderi finishes his story without a mention of the vast
innovation currently
sprouting from sources far afield of the Fortune 500. In addition, little mention is made of what makes some research efforts flourish while others fade. Nevertheless, getAbstract highly recommends Engines of Tomorrow as a book that rises beyond a simple corporate history to a study in human innovation.