“Bleeding edge” is a buzz term I have noticed being used more and more to highlight significant innovations. According to Wikipedia, “Bleeding edge is a term that refers to technology that is so new (and thus, presumably, not perfected) that the user is required to risk reductions in stability and productivity in order to use it…Recently however, the term bleeding edge has been increasingly used by the general public to mean ‘ahead of cutting edge’ largely without the negative, risk-associated connotation concurrent with the term's use in more specific fields.”
Most recently, I saw the term used in the BusinessWeek January 12th cover story “What’s Wrong with Silicon Valley (And How to Make it Right).” The article diagnosis the feeble condition of American technologies and offers a “prescription for fixing the country’s innovation machine.” Highlighting innovators, the story mentions the startup Numenta, and their goal of building computers that work like the brain. The Numenta programmers “study the inner workings of the brain and then replicate them with some of the most complex mathematical algorithms ever devised.” Amazed by how computers currently operate, that does sound rather “bleeding edge” to me.
Whether working on disruptive technologies, refining existing procedures and products, or developing an entrepreneurial venture, innovative thought is crucial in creating efficiencies and improving outputs. Being on the “bleeding edge” might be risky, but the rewards can be great.