This article in the New York Times would have been easy to miss because it appeared in the Sunday Styles section but it contains important insights about what happens when a university becomes active in fostering start-ups and in creating a flow of high-quality talent. I wrote a chapter about Pittsburgh in my 2011 book, The Next American Economy, but in the intervening years Carnegie Mellon appears to have had much more success with autonomous driving, robotics and related fields. It is reflected in the quality of life in Pittsburgh. This article shows the ultimate payoff of a university that understands its role in technology transfer and the overall “ecosystem” of its region. Bravo!
