Okay, so this whole time I had this vision of Gutenberg inventing the printing press in his workshop, and revolutionizing printing.
Turns out he raised capital like a modern startup in 1450. He also got screwed by his investor, like many modern startups.
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Turns out he raised capital like a modern startup in 1450. He also got screwed by his investor, like many modern startups.
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2/ A dude named Johann Fust was convinced to lend Gutenberg 800 guilders in 1450, and another 800 in 1452. That’s about €400,000 by my calculations.
Not a small investment.
Fust was also a huge jerk.
Not a small investment.
Fust was also a huge jerk.
3/ One jerky thing he did was sue Gutenberg, for the original investment plus interest.
Gutenberg maintained he said their was no interest when he promised to lend him money.
Gutenberg lost the case, even though there was no document proving he had to pay interest.
Gutenberg maintained he said their was no interest when he promised to lend him money.
Gutenberg lost the case, even though there was no document proving he had to pay interest.
4/ Gutenberg lost his business before selling anything, and Fust took his workshop. He then hired one of Gutenberg’s employees, and took over operations.
Completely hijacked the operation and technology.
Completely hijacked the operation and technology.
5/ Another jerky thing Fust may have done was not tell people his bibles were machine made.
When people found out they were identical with red ink, they came to the obvious conclusion. He was a witch.
He was thrown in a Parisian jail until he proved he had a machine.
When people found out they were identical with red ink, they came to the obvious conclusion. He was a witch.
He was thrown in a Parisian jail until he proved he had a machine.
6/ Back to Gutenberg. He died broke, and almost no one knew who he was.
~100 years later, his legacy re-emerged. His portraits are based on what people imagined he looked like.
Anyway, kids. Be careful who you do business with, and document the investment terms.
~100 years later, his legacy re-emerged. His portraits are based on what people imagined he looked like.
Anyway, kids. Be careful who you do business with, and document the investment terms.
Also, started to tell my partner about this.
They were like, “I thought you knew that, and the concept of the printing press being invented by Gutenberg is just a myth perpetuated for European superiority?”
Why would I know that, and how is that common knowledge? 🤷♂️😂
They were like, “I thought you knew that, and the concept of the printing press being invented by Gutenberg is just a myth perpetuated for European superiority?”
Why would I know that, and how is that common knowledge? 🤷♂️😂
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