--- description: "We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance." title: How Nikola Tesla Predicted the Smartphone image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17dc19373313d910/698870470a4a22b4139c6f54/nikola-tesla.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How Nikola Tesla Predicted the Smartphone ## Video: Tech Time: Who Invented the Tablet? [Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: Who Invented the Tablet?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7lywpiNx.m3u8) (2:05)  _Published 2015-10-01. Did Apple invent the tablet with the iPad, or does its origins have an earlier start?_ by [Celena Chong / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Celena Chong / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 10, 2015 6:26 PM CUT  Nikola Tesla (1856-1943). Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).ullstein bild—Getty Images by [Celena Chong / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Celena Chong / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 10, 2015 6:26 PM CUT Nikola Tesla was a famous 20th century Serbian-American scientist who is most famous for designing the alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. The world-famed engineer could speak in eight languages, had an eidetic memory and held 300 patents by the time he died. His name was borrowed for the[ red-hot car and energy storage company](http://www.teslamotors.com/ "undefined") created by entrepreneur Elon Musk and he has been cited as an inspiration by Google co-founder Larry Page. It seems Tesla predicted the creation of the smartphone in a 1926 [interview with John B. Kennedy](http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1926-01-30.htm "undefined"). --- > “” --- The prescient quote from nearly a century ago was [recently flagged in the bigthink blog](http://bigthink.com/words-of-wisdom/nikola-tesla-2 "undefined"). Tesla also made other futuristic remarks during the interview, and predicted that men would end up inferior to women. --- > “” --- Tesla is known for his futurist comments in the last century. That kind of far-seeing vision is especially in demand today. According to Forbes, a [career of the future might be forecasting and analyzing the future](http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/13/futurist-business-consultant-tech-future07-cx%5Fee%5F1015futurist.html "undefined"). [Intel hired Brian David Johnson](http://www.cnet.com/news/intels-futurist-knows-what-tech-youll-want-tomorrow/ "undefined") to combine sci-fi literature, ethnography and consumer research to predict company trends. Futurist and innovation expert Jim Carroll has advised clients like Motorola, Walt Disney Corporation and McKinsey [according to his site](https://www.jimcarroll.com/about/clients/#.VZqlS84-CcY "undefined"). _This_ [_article_](http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-predicted-smartphones-in-1926-2015-7 "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Business Insider_](http://www.businessinsider.com "undefined") _More from Business Insider:_ * [12 predictions from 1900 that are frighteningly accurate](http://www.businessinsider.com/futurist-in-1900-makes-predictions-that-came-true-2015-10 "undefined") * [15 Accidental Inventions That Changed The World](http://www.businessinsider.com/accidental-inventions-that-changed-the-world-2014-12 "undefined") * [The 10 Greatest Inventors In The Modern Era](http://www.businessinsider.com/most-prolific-inventors-2011-5 "undefined") * [The fascinating life of Nikola Tesla, the man who electrified our world and fell in love with a pigeon](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-secret-life-of-nikola-tesla-2015-10 "undefined") * [Here’s Why Tesla Motors Is Named For A Famous Serbian Inventor](http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-tesla-named-for-2013-8 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/"},"headline":"How Nikola Tesla Predicted the Smartphone","datePublished":"2015-11-10T18:26:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:06:55.652Z","description":"\"We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance\"","url":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/","keywords":["Tech","Innovation","Smartphones","Inventions"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17dc19373313d910/698870470a4a22b4139c6f54/nikola-tesla.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Celena Chong / Business Insider"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17dc19373313d910/698870470a4a22b4139c6f54/nikola-tesla.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).","caption":"Nikola Tesla (1856-1943).","creditText":"ullstein bild—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/","name":"How Nikola Tesla Predicted the Smartphone"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Time: Who Invented the Tablet?","description":"Did Apple invent the tablet with the iPad, or does its origins have an earlier start?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/7lywpiNx/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-01T13:49:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7lywpiNx.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/","duration":"PT2M5S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4106343/smartphone-nikola-tesla/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```