Imagine you invented something incredible. As an example, let’s say it was Super Toothpaste. I’m not talking about a competitor to Crest; I mean a toothpaste so good that anyone who uses it will never have cavities again.
This imaginary Super Toothpaste is so good that using it would effectively replace ever needing to visit a dentist again. It makes teeth and gums cleaner, stronger, whiter, and everything else you might want for your mouth.
And not only is it incredible, but it’s also incredibly cheap to make. You could make it just as cheap as regular toothpaste. Everyone in the US, and pretty much anyone in the world would have access to it. You would effectively end dental problems with the invention of Super Toothpaste.
But in releasing Super Toothpaste, you also effectively destroy the careers of every dentist, dental hygenist, and anyone else employed in a dentist’s office.
And it’s not just the dentists. Any company that makes a competing toothpaste would immediately go bankrupt, along with all the companies that make floss, mouthwash, or teeth whitening products. Companies that make and sell equipment to dentists would have no purpose. Dental insurance will become almost obsolete (although it would still have some relevance in the orthodontic space).
I’m sure there are more implications that I haven’t mentioned, and I’m not a dental expert. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are smarter than me and can poke flaws into the premise, so let’s not waste time with that. Let’s just pretend.
Now on to the interesting question.
Would you release Super Toothpaste?
Sure, the product would be helpful to billions of people in the world, but it would also instantly ruin the careers and livelihood of millions of people who work in the dental care industry.
Most dentists are in school for eight years, some of them taking out substantial loans on the premise that they will have a career ahead of them. If you release your product to the world, these people will have wasted eight years of their lives and who knows how much money training for a profession that no longer exists.
Then think about all the other people I mentioned above; many of them well educated as well. All will be looking for new jobs, almost certainly paying much less than their current ones. This sounds pretty terrible for a lot of people.
But on the other hand, you’ll be quite rich. You could probably become one of the richest people on earth.
And what about the consumers? They no longer have to pay for six month checkups or cavity fillings. They don’t have to deal with the pain or anxiety of a dental appointment. They can drop their dental insurance. They can stop buying $100 electric toothbrushes. The consumer definitely wins with Super Toothpaste.
What Would You Do?
What would you do? Release the product, become super rich and improve dental hygiene around the world while destroying an entire industry and all the careers that go along with it? Or would you keep your invention a secret to save the jobs of so many, but prevent the rest of the world from cheaper, better dental care?
I personally would release Super Toothpaste as soon as humanly possible. I wouldn’t even give it a second thought, because I know I’d be greatly improving not only dental health, but also the global economy.
If you don’t understand how destroying an industry and causing millions of people to lose their jobs helps the economy, then you might want to read Economics in One Lesson. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and explains how the economy really works.
Readers: This is not a hypothetical question. Tell me in the comments if you would release Super Toothpaste or not? Why or why not?
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
I would release the toothpaste. Being someone who has struggled with going to the dentist and always having bad teeth (even though I brush twice a day and floss!), I would love to eliminate the anxiety caused by dental trips.
All that being said, I’m sure you would probably be assassinated by the ADA before your work could be completed…
You better believe I would, even if I didn’t make tons of money off of it.
There are plenty of new technologies that have replaced people’s jobs. When you choose a career you have to take into account that it might become obsolete before spending six figures of debt on it.
you have to release it, this is how society advances. cars killed the horse and buggy business and our lives are so much better for it. if you had the cure for cancer would you hold onto it?
Absolutely. This happens all the time as mentioned with the horse and buggy analogy. Society adapts with technology. Not overnight but it would happen. I’ve often thought that one day ‘glass’ will be replaced by something with uber-insulation capability and shatterproof, so that glass windows on a home will never need to be replaced once installed. I would release this in a heartbeat if given the chance.
I would release it.
1. I am a dentist so I would need a new stream of income if it was released. I’d obviously make more money by making toothpaste.
2. The product would be of huge benefit for all mankind at the inconvenience of a few million people. More would be helped than hurt.
3. To manufacture and distribute that much toothpaste to so many more people than currently get it will employ a LOT more people, so jobs would also be created.
I’d release it (because I’ve read Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell). I’ve often thought about all the jobs and industries that would be impacted if a true flat tax were ever enacted….probably more fantastic than your super toothpaste…
Of course I would release it….but I’d make OPEC countries pay MUCH, MUCH more for it!
Awesome idea. 😀
Economics in One Lesson is a brilliant book. The change from status quo to Super Toothpaste would be rapid, but not literally overnight. Individuals and industries affected would have time to weigh up their chances and plan/adjust accordingly. Progress is nothing to fear, we all benefit from it in the long run.
yes, this is progress. no one is making vinyl records anymore…
This post reminds me so much of Atlas Shrugged– Super Toothpaste=Reardon Steel, a cheap, sturdy, amazing metal for building railroads that makes trains go faster, more safely. Almost everyone was opposed to Reardon Steel because it would put people out of work who were employed by other metal companies. The way the book was written, you sort of hate all of the people that oppose Reardon Steel. (Sorry for yet another literary reference. The book is a bajillion pages long so I thought I’d just give that summary so that you don’t have to read it.)
I would definitely release Super Toothpaste, or Reardon Steel, or the cure for cancer, or whatever else would help mankind as a whole, even if it puts people out of work. We’d still need dentists for orthodontistry and dental work from accidents, and 6 month check-ups might just change to annual check-ups. The people in the toothpaste manufacturing businesses would have built transferable skill sets, and like Jason Cabler said above, Super Toothpaste would create a bunch of new jobs.
But I definitely understand the other side too. If the toothpaste did not actually better the world– it just made me rich and put other companies out of business– I’d have a much harder time justifying the release of the product.
I’ll second that Jamie.
“But I definitely understand the other side too. If the toothpaste did not actually better the world– it just made me rich and put other companies out of business– I’d have a much harder time justifying the release of the product.”
agreed with Jamie – the #1 reason I’d release it is the extent to which it would benefit people who currently don’t have access to dental care (I’m thinking third world countries).
Of course I would release it! It’s what keeps us evolving. Think Walmart….
I am taking a quote from an article on the BCS system in college football
As late Apple founder Steve Jobs loved to say: “If you do not cannibalize yourself, someone else will.”
I would release the toothpaste, other new more interesting jobs would be created.
Of course release the toothpaste. Two historical analogies:
1. Back in the early 19th century there was a group of textile workers called Luddites, who protested against mechanized looms by destroying them, since these people felt their livelihoods threatened. Today a Luddite is the name for anyone who rebels against new technologies in a similar manner.
2. In the mid 19th century in this country one of the largest industries was whaling, which provided oil for lamps and other benefits. You may remember this really long book about a whaling captain who couldn’t adjust to being an amputee. Whaling eventually declined as other sources of energy like steam and eventually electricity took over.
I’m sure the parallels are clear.
Of course I would release it. You are not going to sell everyone nor will everyone use it as directed. Would you have some effect on the larger industry maybe, but it will take time. Perhaps as much as a generation or two. Besides, if I did not release it someone else might.
I would release it without a second thought.
Actually, I’m already working on something that has the potential to put most of Big Pharma and mainstream medicine out of business — I’m improving my own diet, and substantially improving my health without prescription pills. Starting with actively ignoring the unhealthy dietary advice of the USDA (another outfit that really needs to be put out of business). I’m currently experimenting with something that excites me enough that I plan to start a new blog on the subject.
Do not release it. I am a ice chopper by trade. I worked on Lake Michigan for 30 years as did my grandpappy and great grandpappy braving the cruelest lake front winter days to bring back ice blocks. We even lost a ship once only 3 out of 9 men on board survived. A fancy city type came along one day and invented electric freezers. Greedy corporate scum.
Release it! The economy will adapt. No reason to be stuck in the past centuries. 🙂
mate do you have a twitter?
I would definately release it!
I have found a similar situation with diabetes & Cancer treatments.
We found what it takes to eliminate the costs of Surgury & expensive medications, needless to say the crappy feeling while on medications….
Won’t you spread the word to the ones you trily care about?
End the need for Drugs(CHEMICALS) with The Kyani Triangle of health!
I would always take the health of billions over the jobs of thousands. Not to mention that somebody else would probably release it even if you didn’t.
I would release Supertoothpaste in a heartbeat. Although the dental industry would be affected, I don’t think it would be eliminated. Professionals would still be needed to correct misalignments, some people would need treatment or tooth replacements after suffering trauma- cavities aren’t the only thing dentists treat. The printing press eliminated the need for scribes to copy books by hand, the personal computer eliminated the typewriter, and so on. People adapt.
Incredible question! I’d release it, provided I don’t get killed by the tooth health industry! I also think the dentists and others will have enough time, may be a decade, to make the transition since the toothpaste will probably only prevent future disease but not cure existing ones! Also the time it will take for the product to reach everyone. The exiting companies can also switch to the new product and endure the losses.
Incredible question! I’d release it, provided I don’t get killed by the tooth health industry! I also think the dentists and others will have enough time, may be a decade, to make the transition since the toothpaste will probably only prevent future disease but not cure existing ones! Also the time it will take for the product to reach everyone. The exiting companies can also switch to the new product and endure the losses.