Edwin Catmull Quotes

A big part of my job is to accelerate our ability to bring innovative products to our customers more quickly.

I've got loads of ideas swimming round, and I've even organised them in a nice folder on me computer.

I've got lots and lots planned out, and other ideas knocking around in my head, too. I'm kind of an obsessive pre-planner, so I have a lot of material.

We need to make sure that the things we are already working on turn out to do the things we believe they can do and creating value both for the world and ultimately for Google.

Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.

Smart people tend to enjoy thinking about a lot of things at once. I'd say entrepreneurs should be serial monogamists; do one thing at a time until you make sufficient progress and then move on.

I'm always working on concepts and ideas for the future.

One of the banes of successful innovation is that companies may be so committed to innovation that they will give the innovators a lot of money to spend.

And I believe in having an administration that has clearly defined goals, objectives and time lines such that it and its people can be held accountable.

Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation.

Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.

The way I try to simplify my job is that I have two lists - I have a list of all the crazy, interesting problems that I get to solve every day or that need to be solved, and I have a crazy list of things I'd like to invent. And I kind of just prioritize them and work my way down, and try to simplify what I do when managing a big company.

Executives need ample flexibility to respond to the market. That means both reducing costs and increasing innovation.

The more Strategic Work you do, the more effective, productive, and joyful the Tactical Work becomes.

As an entrepreneur and investor, I prioritize construction and collaboration. Whether it's a five-person start-up or a global giant, the companies that are most productive are the ones whose employees operate with a shared sense of purpose and a clear set of policies for responding to changing conditions and new opportunities.

One of my philosophies of building companies is the importance of velocity.

Nurturing a project from the ground floor is something I've been wanting to do.

I enjoy juggling four or five different projects in the air and finding connections and disconnections between them.

I make so many ideas, it's impossible to finish every single one.

You can work hard and be smart, but you need to think about when you're going to be part of a startup and build it. You only have so much energy, whether you want to admit it or not.

I'm always investing and building things at the same time.

I am good at conceptualizing and building institutions.

24 hours a day, I'm thinking about what we can do with this artist, what I can do myself over here, and how we can tie it all together.

Innovation in an existing company is not just the sum of great technology, key acquisitions, or smart people. Corporate innovation needs a culture that matches and supports it.