A few that were slightly off:
“The telephone may be right for our American cousins, but not here because we have an adequate group of messenger boys.” Editorial in The London Times
Michigan Savings Bank told Henry Ford’s lawyer, when the newly incorporated company applied for a loan, “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty, a fad.”
The New York Times reported that a brain specialist issued a severe warning to automobile manufacturers: It remains to be proved how fast a brain is capable of traveling…if it cannot acquire an eight miles per hour speed…it is running without the guidance of the brain and the many disastrous results are not to be marveled at.
JP Morgan told his dad that he had met Thomas Edison and was interested in financing his new company, General Electric. Papa Junius was apparently a bit old school, “Electricity is just a fad”. Fortunately, JP did not listen to his dad.
Alexander Graham Bell had the the patent for the telephone, but wanted money instead. He offered Western Union the rights for $100,000. Its president was offended and sent an internal memo, “It’s a toy. The idea is idiotic.”
And finally, the master of wishful thinking, Bill Gates, who obviously never looked at Quora when he said, “Spam will be a thing of the past in two years time”.