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Thomas Edison

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This article is about GritCult's view of Thomas Edison. For a general overview, see Thomas Edison on Wikipedia.

Thomas Edison
“Nikola Tesla arrived in New York in 1884 with 4 cents in his pocket, a book of poems, and a letter of…” (2 May 2026)
In the archive
PortalBuilders & Operators
Posts16
Retweets316
Likes1,909
First post25 January 2018
Latest post2 May 2026
Posts by year
20181
20205
20211
20221
20235
20241
20262
Related

Thomas Edison appears in two roles: as the source of plain quote cards about work and volume, and as the foil to Nikola Tesla, the better operator who won the business war. The 16 posts run from 2018 to 2026.

Views

His favourite Edison line is about volume: “To have a great idea, have a lot of them”, posted in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 [1]. The other cards make the same case from different angles: there is no substitute for hard work [2], and opportunity is missed by most because it is “dressed in overalls and looks like work” [3]. One card shows a less obvious taste, Edison's impatience with procedure: “Hell, there are no rules here”, because “we're trying to accomplish something” [4].

When Edison is discussed rather than quoted, it is beside Tesla. In 2020 GritCult called him “better adapted to his environment than Tesla” [5], and wrote that both men served Moloch, filling a modern gap for self-sacrificing priests of techno-capital [6]. The 2026 retelling makes the verdict explicit: Edison died a celebrated millionaire and won the business war, but Tesla “won the actual war” [7]. Edison is what success looks like measured in money; Tesla is what it looks like measured in legacy.

Recurring themes

  • volume as the route to a good idea
  • hard work over inspiration
  • impatience with rules
  • the operator against the inventor
  • success measured in money versus legacy

Notable post

The most retweeted GritCult post on the subject, with 251 retweets:

Nikola Tesla died broke in a hotel room with a pigeon as his only companion. Thomas Edison died a celebrated millionaire.

Edison won the business war. But Tesla won the actual war. AC power runs the entire planet. Edisons DC lost. The man who died broke literally powers…
GRITCULT on X, 19 February 2026

Selected posts

All 16 posts in the archive about Thomas Edison, ranked by retweets. Select a column heading to sort.

DateRetweetsLikesPostMediaSource
19 February 20262511,386Nikola Tesla died broke in a hotel room with a pigeon as his only companion. Thomas Edison died a celebrated millionaire.

Edison won the business war. But Tesla won the actual war. AC power runs the entire planet. Edisons DC lost. The man who died broke literally powers…		View
2 May 202631182Nikola Tesla arrived in New York in 1884 with 4 cents in his pocket, a book of poems, and a letter of recommendation to Thomas Edison.

Edison hired him. Promised him $50,000 to redesign his entire DC motor system. Tesla worked 18 hour days for months. Slept on the factory floor.…		Post imageView
13 November 20231385"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." - Thomas EdisonView
24 November 2020546"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." - Thomas EdisonView
15 June 2023231MANY OF LIFE'S FAILURES ARE PEOPLE WHO DID NOT REALIZE HOW CLOSE THEY WERE TO SUCCESS WHEN THEY GAVE UP. ~THOMAS EDISONView
23 January 2024229"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." - Thomas EdisonView
22 December 2020228If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. - Thomas EdisonView
21 February 2023226"THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK." - THOMAS EDISONView
9 April 2023217WE SHALL HAVE NO BETTER CONDITIONS IN THE FUTURE IF WE ARE SATISFIED WITH ALL THOSE WHICH WE HAVE AT PRESENT. - THOMAS EDISONView
25 January 201822Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work ~Thomas Alva EdisonView
5 December 2022140"To have a great idea, have a lot of them." - Thomas EdisonView
6 May 2023114THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK. - THOMAS EDISONView
2 November 202019Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. - Thomas EdisonView
26 March 202018i think why men like tesla are prized in western society is because there is a gap in the current society of "priests" or monks... self sacrificing... in this case the god is techno-capital... and tesla and edison both served moloch

but i am questioning the nature of monasticism		View
26 March 202005Edison: better adapted to his environment than Tesla.View
19 February 202101@the_antee He worked with Edison?View

History

GritCult first posted about Thomas Edison on 25 January 2018, and most recently on 2 May 2026. Across the archive the subject comes up 16 times, most often in 2020 (5 posts).

See also

Builders & Operators portal

References

  1. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (13 November 2023). To have a great idea, have a lot of them. X.
  2. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (21 February 2023). THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK. X.
  3. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (25 January 2018). Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. X.
  4. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (2 November 2020). Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something. X.
  5. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (26 March 2020). Edison: better adapted to his environment than Tesla. X.
  6. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (26 March 2020). the god is techno-capital... and tesla and edison both served moloch. X.
  7. ^GRITCULT [@GRITCULT] (19 February 2026). Thomas Edison died a celebrated millionaire. Edison won the business war. But Tesla won the actual war. X.
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