Precocious inventors: early patenting success and lifetime inventive performance

Precocious inventors have a higher inventive productivity during their remaining career. Inventors who first patent either applied for extraordinarily fast or of especially high quality are regarded as precocious. This paper systematically includes individual and employer characteristics that can drive career beside an early patenting success to reveal the true effect precociousness. We show reveals dimensions ability not captured in predetermined at start such school education level. The favourable work environment precocious enjoyed also has relatively low explanatory value productivity. do benefit from cumulative advantage. Although rival firms use indicator productivity, employers retain share inventors. propose several reasons this surprising phenomenon.