The Value of Ideas

I read with great interest the Fortune magazine article "The Shared Genius of Elon Musk and Steve Jobs". http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/21/leadership/steve-jobs-elon-musk.pr.fortune/

Of the many insights offered by the author, I particularly like his analysis on the two traits that these two men share in common - system–level design thinking and extraordinary conviction. He pointed out immediately that Jobs and Musk were not inventors in the typical sense of the word, as numerous other people made the key technical contributions. But what they did was  to "imagine the broader ecosystems in which those products could become transformative". 

In order to do that, they both possess "an intimate understanding not just of the technology but of what would be necessary in design, logistics, and the business model to launch those products and make them truly compelling to potential customers". 

This reminded me of a discussion I recently had on the value of "ideas". Are ideas cheap or expensive? Indeed, if it's just a technical innovation on its own, or a simple idea (such as the concept of social networking), it does not stand out as particularly valuable. But if one has the vision to see where it's most applicable, how to make it really powerful, who it can appeal to, and what impact it would make in a broad sense, and most importantly, follows through with meticulous and relentless execution, it will shine as a brilliant idea. Frankly, by that time, it's no longer an idea, but rather a complete story. The comparison is like reading the synopsis of "Anna Karenina" versus reading the masterpiece by Tolstoy.