White Elephant Technology

I’ve specialized in reporting on unusual inventions that fail in the marketplace despite being innovative for more than 20 years. I call these inventions, “White Elephant Technology” or WETech for short—a phrase I’ve helped to popularize. My articles on WETech inventions have appeared in the New York Times Science section, The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday magazine, Smithsonian’s Air& Space magazine and numerous other publications. I also authored a book on the topic published by The History Press in 2024.

What exactly is White Elephant Technology?

Put simply, any unusual invention (past or present) that fails in the marketplace despite its innovative nature qualifies as White Elephant Technology, or WETech for short.

Most people are familiar with WETech inventions like flying cars or jet packs, but the majority of inventions I write about are ones you’ve never heard of. From jeeps that fly to tanks that shouldn’t; from a wave-powered boat that takes forever to reach its destination to a jet-powered train that nearly shook itself apart, White Elephant Technology showcases an inventor’s talent for inventing something nobody asked for. Importantly, none of these inventions are speculative. Each one was built, field-tested, and worked more or less as planned (except when it killed its inventor).

Lavishly illustrated with more than 50 photographs curated by Photo Editor, Eric Miles, White Elephant Technology will leave you shaking your head in wonder while thinking, “What in the world were they thinking?”

To order a copy click here.

To recommend a WETech invention, please email details to: WhiteElephantTechnology@gmail.com.

To read a brief 5-minute Q&A with me conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, click here.

To watch a funny, 60-second promotional video, click here, or to watch a 2-minute promotional video, click here.

To watch a free, hour-long presentation about WETECH inventions at England’s National Museum of Computing, click here.