Code Name Ginger
by Steve Kemper · first published 2003
11mentions
6recommended by
8HN commenters
2009–2024first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Candid behind-the-scenes account of the Segway's development and launch, showing how a visionary product and team went off course; a non-hagiographic look for readers of tech history or team dynamics.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I highly recommend the book Code Name Ginger, which is the remarkable story behind the Segway. http://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Ginger-Behind-Segway/dp/1578...
on “Tesla Snags Apple VP Of Mac Hardware To Lead New Vehicle Development” ↗The Segway was actually pretty complex -- definitely not just a spin-off. (Though I agree the iBot is awesome.) If you want to learn the full story, I recommend the book Code Name Ginger. http://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Ginger-Behind-Segway/dp/1578...
on “Segway inventor's next endeavor” ↗A really good book about this is "Code Name Ginger" which is not the blind glorification that such books can be. https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Ginger-Behind-Segway/dp/157...
on “Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos meet "Ginger" (2003)” ↗…dynamics, too. After all, it's still worth wondering why a visionary CEO and some very smart engineers could go so far off course. There's a fascinating fly-on-the-wall account of Segway's origins in "Code Name Ginger," a 2003 book by Steve Kemper. (Review is here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB105581785554884900) Two key insights: Founder Dean Kamen sounds like an A+ visionary but a quite terrifying PM, with many…
on “Segway ends production of its original scooter” ↗Seconded. Cringely is the only one who doesn't make everything seem ooh-ahh-magical-brains! predetermined. Altho that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out. Where the Wizards Stay Up Late was a book I did an interactive presentation on in 7th grade, so it always has a special place in my heart. In retrospect,…
on “Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?” ↗The book, "Code Name Ginger" is actually great. It's a complete 180 from the Steve Blank model of Customer Development and is a good reminder of how great teams can create the biggest craters.
on “Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos meet "Ginger"” ↗…around launch of "It"... which turned out to be the segway. If he's working on a new product, expect a similar level of media engagement. There's a good book about development and launch of the segway "CODE NAME GINGER: The Story Behind Ginger and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World"[1]. It's in paperback as "Reinventing the Wheel: A Story of Genius, Innovation, and Grand Ambition"[2]. It also has some interesting…
on “Segway Inventor Dean Kamen Thinks New Stirling Engine Will Get You Off the Grid” ↗"Code Name Ginger" is actually a really great book - at least I found it so, not at all a prisoner of the Kamen/Segway hype machine.
on “Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos Meet “Ginger” (2003)” ↗The "Code Name: Ginger" book, by a writer embedded with the team, is excellent btw.
on “Elon Musk wanted an OpenAI for-profit” ↗…for "human" inventors. I mean not forgetting or gambling, but having many unsuccessful attempts with probably a single good outcome. Recently read "Reinventing the wheel" by Steve Kemper (also known as "Code name Ginger" about Segway development), the funny term for this from Kamen himself was "frog kissing".
on “Ask HN: Can LLMs "invent" life hacks?” ↗…sucks!" said Jobs. His vehemence made Tim pause. "Why?" he asked, a bit stiffly. "It just does. [...] Its shape is not innovative, it's not elegant, it doesn't feel anthropomorphic." This is from "Code Name Ginger: The Story Behind Segway and Dean Kamen's Quest to Invent a New World". The chapter with the meeting with Jobs is available here: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3533.html
on “The Trouble with the Segway” ↗