James Dyson
British inventor and founder of Dyson, the engineering company known for the bagless vacuum cleaner.
SpeechesAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building
Why James Dyson matters
British inventor and founder of Dyson, which turned the bagless cyclonic vacuum cleaner into a global business. He is often cited for the 5,127 prototypes it took him to get one working.
The journey
Dyson was born in Norfolk in 1947. His father died when he was nine, and the family had little money; he went to Gresham's School, where the headmaster agreed to cover his fees, and then studied at the Royal College of Art. His first original product, the Ballbarrow, did not make him rich: he had assigned the patent and lost the rights to the design.
In the late 1970s a clogging dust bag in his own vacuum cleaner set him thinking about cyclonic separation. He spent about five years and 5,127 prototypes in a shed before it worked. British manufacturers refused to take it, so it launched first in Japan, and he ran up large debts while his wife taught art to support the family.
He set up his own company and launched the DC01 in 1993, about fourteen years after he began. He won a patent case against Hoover in 1999. In 2019 he cancelled an electric car project he had backed with about £2 billion, because it was not commercially viable.
- 1947Born in Cromer, Norfolk.
- 1974Invents the Ballbarrow, but loses the rights to the design.
- 1983After 5,127 prototypes, launches his first cyclone cleaner, in Japan.
- 1993Launches the DC01 under his own company.
- 1999Wins a patent infringement case against Hoover.
- 2019Cancels his electric car project.
Sources for this profile
- James Dyson · Wikipedia
- James Dyson created his 'mad' vacuum idea while $1M in debt · Entrepreneur
- Dyson: Innovation Icons · London Business School Think
Written in our own words from the sources above. This profile is a draft and has not yet been reviewed by a person. How we source
Quotes
I've always avoided giving advice. Indeed, I have gone through life ignoring advice Unless that is, I happen to agree with it!
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 0:19 · Dyson on YouTube
Most complex things can be broken down into a series of separate problems to be solved. And then complexity becomes manageable.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 1:18 · Dyson on YouTube
Don't let anyone tell you that something's impossible. Break down the challenge into simple objectives. Prove them wrong! It's a great motivator!
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 1:32 · Dyson on YouTube
Throw yourself into everything. Try out everything and seize opportunities and discover what it is you love.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 2:04 · Dyson on YouTube
Your view is as good as anybody else's. If different, it's almost certainly more interesting.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 3:31 · Dyson on YouTube
I've always been naturally attracted to the prosaic. Glamour repels me. My obtuseness wants the dull to be exciting.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 3:39 · Dyson on YouTube
I wanted to invent, design and make things, to control the whole process.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 4:19 · Dyson on YouTube
Rather than the glamour of computers or mobile phones, I've been interested in areas overlooked and out of fashion and there's nothing wrong with that.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 5:02 · Dyson on YouTube
Spend time with the people who encourage you. Be inquisitive, always wanting to learn. Inspiration will follow.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 5:27 · Dyson on YouTube
Surprisingly, naivety is helpful. Experience can be a cage, inhibiting and hard to escape from. And today, the world changes so quickly that freedom from experience can be an asset.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 5:47 · Dyson on YouTube
Watch out for the 'experts', the boring 'know-It-alls'. Ignore the naysayers and the doubting Thomases.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 6:07 · Dyson on YouTube
I learned the art of iterative Research and Development, where you make just one change at a time.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 7:03 · Dyson on YouTube
Most importantly, it can never predict the future. None of us can. We have to take our own view and trust our own instincts. You may be just as wrong, but at least it's your failure.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 7:32 · Dyson on YouTube
You can learn more and viscerally from constantly experimenting and failing. Failure causes you to examine and overcome the problem. Getting it 'right first time' does not give you that same ingrained learning.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 7:54 · Dyson on YouTube
People like to portray brilliance as effortless, but that's seldom the reality. Success demands determination to overcome problems, concentration and stamina, which afterwards can look like a flash of brilliance.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 8:12 · Dyson on YouTube
The harder you try and the more determined you are, the more you get out of it.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 8:29 · Dyson on YouTube
My life has been one littered with failures, and failure comes in many shapes and sizes.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 8:35 · Dyson on YouTube
I've always pursued things that interest me and which I enjoy. And one project has led to another.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 9:40 · Dyson on YouTube
Be a 'doer', rather than one of those far too many attention seeking 'grandstanders' who solve nothing.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 9:55 · Dyson on YouTube
Be different. Embrace failure and discover your mojo. Believe in your ideas. Ignore the naysayers.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 10:05 · Dyson on YouTube
Through science, engineering, the arts, ideas and ingenuity, shape the world in your image for the better.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 10:15 · Dyson on YouTube
Make it a world of 'doers', never 'grandstanders'.
Verified sourceAddress to the Class of 2022 at the Opening of the Dyson STEAM Building · Watch at 10:36 · Dyson on YouTube