Part 4/7:
In an age driven by rapid information dissemination, the greatest innovations often come from individuals who operate across multiple domains. Epstein cites the example of Gunpei Yokoi, the legendary Nintendo engineer responsible for creating the Game Boy.
Yokoi’s journey highlights the importance of lateral thinking. Despite being a low-tier engineer with limited formal education, Yokoi engaged in "withered technology"—utilizing well-understood, affordable technology and combining it in innovative ways. His philosophy, lateral thinking with withered technology, allowed Nintendo to outperform competitors and produce a device that became the best-selling console of the 20th century.