07/09/2026
I did not expect The Gilded Age on HBO Max to give me one of my favorite patent storylines.
But here we are.
In the show, Jack Trotter is a footman in 1880s New York who spends his spare time tinkering with an alarm clock. He sees a problem, works on a solution, pursues patent protection, finds the right business partner, and eventually sells the invention for $600,000.
That is more than $20 million today.
One idea.
One patent.
One deal.
A completely different life.
Of course, the patent system has changed a lot since the 1880s. Today, we live in a first-inventor-to-file world, which means timing, strategy, documentation, and early protection matter more than ever.
But the heart of the system is still the same.
Innovation should not belong only to the wealthy, the connected, or the already established.
It should belong to the person who sees something differently and has the courage to build it.
Most will not become $20 million stories. That is the truth.
But every life-changing starts the same way: with someone noticing a problem and believing their solution is worth protecting.
That is why I love working with inventors.
Behind every patent application is a person hoping that what they built might open a door they could not otherwise reach.
And sometimes, it does.
