I had never heard of Mr Bakken, but actually have a small investment in Medtronic stock. He built an incredible company,which has no doubt saved many lives. His philanthropy is also commendable.
I am surprised to see his net worth is quoted in many websites as only 10 million dollars. Seems like it should be much higher.
Earl Bakken should also be remembered for the care and compassion he infused into Medtronic from its founding and through many decades of growth. That includes a strong mission that was developed early, and still actively guides the company: to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.
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Mr. Bakken (and your brother-in-law and Dr. Lillehei and the inventors in Buffalo), sorry I can't thank you in person. But today is the 1st anniversary of my Type A Aorta Dissection — brilliant surgery here in Lund and, a few weeks ago, the implantation of a DDDR pacemaker. I approach my 85th without fear or trembling.
9
Strange that he is regarded as "the inventor" of the portable pacemaker, when the device that made his company successful was invented by a research group in Buffalo. He was a wonderful man, of course. But that is like thinking of Bill Gates as the "inventor" of MS-DOS, when actually he licensed it from the inventor.
3
truly a gentleman and a scholar. I was fortunate enough to be given an employee medal by Earl at the AHA in New Orleans in 1989, right before he stepped down as Chairman. In my interactions with him, he was always calm and inquisitive about our business and had questions about how our physician customers were accepting Medtronic.
He left a mark on this business we call healthcare, and it was a positive one....
8
My Mother in Law was a recently a recipient of a Pacemaker.
The process was seamless and timely. Within a week she was diagnosed, and she was home a day after it was placed.
Her biggest complaint?
The hospital food.
Bakken has saved millions of lives.
Amazing man, incredible work.
10
Great man. Great story. Thank you.
5
Thank you. This is the type of great man we never hear about.
3
We're glad, too, Dr. Bakken. Thank you.
1
Earl Bakken is a legend in the Minnesota electrical engineering community. I first became acquainted with the 'Frankenstein' story on a visit to the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, where the top floor was outfitted as Frankenstein's laboratory. At the time I couldn't understand why they would have done it that way. But then I heard Mr. Bakken tell the story on the radio. Then everything clicked.
The ability to start a technology company in a Minneapolis garage is also a thing of the past. But it's not for lack of good ideas or talented people. It's now a closed market where large companies just won't buy from the small guys anymore. Earl Bakken was part of the last generation who could start a small technology company in Minnesota, and profit from it. Today, everything is a franchise or a subsidiary of a huge conglomerate.
5
This type of collaboration between physiologist and engineer is a thing of the past due to recent changes in patent law.
Lawyers and big pharma lobbied successfully to award patents to "first to file" (corporate lawyers) instead of "first discoverer" (inventors). This is already having a chilling effect on innovation in America. Overnight, companies such as mine sternly forbade engineers from freely bouncing ideas off peers, even those who had helped us for years.
This is how you very effectively prevent free speech and kill germinating ideas.
Inventors used to be free to collaborate once they had documented their ideas in a lab book, giving them the sole right to patent. Discussing ideas with other engineers was an incredible source of insight and creativity. But now, no one can afford to collaborate for fear of their ideas being stolen and patented by some larger corporation with more lawyers than I can afford.
Congress needs to roll back the patent law, and soon. American innovation of the 20th century is rapidly being replaced by foreign inventors who, unlike us, are free to discuss new ideas.
23
All beneficiaries of implanted Medtronic pacemakers mourn this great man's death. He has given us life and health.
6
This Guy is to Medical Devices as Thomas Edison is to Electricity.
6
I am struck by the humility, generosity, and service given throughout this innovators human's long and impactful life. Doing well by doing good and responding to requests for much needed solutions. Are the innovators of today as mindful and philanthropic from day one? Here is a story to take lessons from. Being a servant-leader while inventing solutions to problems. Appreciate this elegant obituary honoring a good soul.
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