In an excerpt and essay drawn from his new book "The Innovators," Walter Isaacson argues that the best creations since the dawn of the digital age have been the result of collaboration. This unique ingredient often provided the critical difference for some of the Internet's greatest advances, and even helped Isaacson complete his book.

We live in the age of computers, but few of us know who invented them. Because most of the pioneers were part of collaborative teams working in wartime secrecy, they aren’t as famous as an Edison, Bell or Morse.