Vienna Live

Innovation’s Linguistic Barrier

Written by Vienna Live with Simeon Morrow | Jul 1, 2025 9:01:09 PM

BOLOGNA, ITALY: Words matter, dear innovators, so pick them wisely.

The world’s premier innovation scientists, Gino Cattani (New York University) and Simone Ferriani (City University of London), have just concluded a monumental study into how language, alone, allows others to correctly appraise an innovation’s value.

A good example might be Steve Jobs asking Universal Music Group for the rights to sell their music catalogues on Apple computers. Which words must this jeans-clad techy use to convince a board of ultra-conservative executives that he holds the keys to music distribution’s future?

Let’s discover innovation’s linguistic barrier!