I think he meant to type "patents" - you probably got that Edison was good at propelling things forward and WAS a very smart dude. He was often hired as a consultant on power generation stations other people were building. The lightbulb - that may have been a steal.Well, if he’s not hiring the best people, that IS a mistake. I’m pretty sure a lot of what you mentioned is typical of all type-A business leaders, past and present. Edison was no saint.
Sucks about his parents.