Innovator’s Dilemma – Gabor Baross and 1800’s Style Commerce & Communications Innovation

Searching online for fun several years ago, a “Baross Hotel” in Budapest, Hungary was discovered (http://www.barosshotel.hu/ , http://www.priceline.co.uk/pcln/hotel/226600 ). Although no known ancestors could be traced back to Hungary, this discovery was intriguing enough to become a ‘some day I’ll visit the place’ (or at least look into the reason for the name).

In 2005 I was invited to speak at a Telecom/eCommerce Industry Conference …. taking place in Budapest, Hungary! After the meetings, a visit to the hotel and discussions with locals caused me to learn that the hotel is across the street from “Baross Plaza”, which is also the location of one of the main international railroad terminals in Hungary – “Keleti International Rail Station” (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&gbv=2&q=keleti+international+rail+station&btnG=Search+Images ).

Baross Plaza is named after “Gabor Baross” (http://www.pms2000.hu/kiad/mini-2.jpg ), a Hungarian Statesman from the 1800’s who, per this Wikipedia link: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabor_Baross ) achieved his fame in the area of economics as the Minster of Ways (Commerce) and Communications. Gabor Baross is recognized

as the person responsible for the development of Hungary’s rail system to the country’s interior, a rail system designed to help the nation’s remote areas (not accessible via the then standard river system for the transportation of raw materials, goods and services) to become connected with Budapest and the other major centers of Hungary. This “innovative” initiative also allowed Hungarians to become less reliant on foreign nations.

The link to Google images for Gabor Baross show his statue on the grounds of Baross Plaza: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.budapest-photo.hu/Budapest%2520kepek/Baross%2520Gabor%2520szobor_2005%2520majus%252021_002_922x692.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.budapest-photo.hu/Baross%2520Gabor%2520szobor_1.htm&h=346&w=461&sz=265&hl=en&start=15&tbnid=xBpZkmqwxlEyaM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgabor%2Bbaross%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Whether or not he is ‘Great Uncle Gabor’, here’s an individual who had vision and responsibility to evolve 1800’s era Commerce and Communications (communications defined then as connectivity via the rail network), to help a market/society evolve to the next level. Being personally involved in helping advance business, technical and economic models designed to help optimally unleash the fullest potential of eCommerce and mCommerce on the Internet via collaboration with global wireline and wireless telecom providers, the parallels are intriguing.