Hamming's classic 'You and Your Research': at least 50% of your time should go to presentation
OfirPress · x · 2026-10-13
Ofir Press resurfaces Richard Hamming's famed 1986 Bellcore talk "You and Your Research" with two takeaways:
- Open vs. closed doors: Working behind a closed door yields more output per year, but closed-door people tend to work on slightly the wrong problems; open-door folks get less done but pick the right ones.
- Presentation matters: Hamming once believed polish and presentation deserved at least as much time as the research itself — now, he says, "at least 50% of the time must go for the presentation."
The talk distills Hamming's 40+ years at Bell Labs into observations on why so few scientists make significant, lasting contributions.
Related event: Hamming's Classic Talk Resurfaces: Open Doors Choose the Right Problems(2 posts)→
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