Atari co-founder talks about Steve Jobs

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Interesting podcast where Atari co-founder Al Alcorn talks with PodTech’s Rio Pesino about Silicon Valley history, including meetings with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.

Fascinating recollections. He is one of those guys who didn’t think personal computers would be a big deal (turned down the chance to produce Woz’s contraptions at Atari).

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14 thoughts on “Atari co-founder talks about Steve Jobs”

  1. I always find this stuff fascinating — not sure if it’s out of nostalgia, or if I just enjoy learning from other people’s mistakes. 🙂

    This story (of Atari turning down the personal computer Jobs wanted to build) reminds me of what happened at Intel with the 4004. Ted Hoff, the creator of the 4004, thought Intel should be selling microprocessors for use in “personal computers.” (Up until that time, Intel was mostly known for RAM chips.) Gordon Moore (of Moore’s Law) thought the personal computer was a dumb idea, and Robert Noyce thought the biggest market for microprocessors would be for digital watches.

    Ted Hoff, like Steve Jobs, also did a stint at Atari.

    Now I’m wondering if Atari didn’t turn down the idea for the personal computer twice: once from Ted Hoff, and once from Steve Jobs. 🙂

    You have to wonder how the personal computer ever came to be….

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  2. I always find this stuff fascinating — not sure if it’s out of nostalgia, or if I just enjoy learning from other people’s mistakes. 🙂

    This story (of Atari turning down the personal computer Jobs wanted to build) reminds me of what happened at Intel with the 4004. Ted Hoff, the creator of the 4004, thought Intel should be selling microprocessors for use in “personal computers.” (Up until that time, Intel was mostly known for RAM chips.) Gordon Moore (of Moore’s Law) thought the personal computer was a dumb idea, and Robert Noyce thought the biggest market for microprocessors would be for digital watches.

    Ted Hoff, like Steve Jobs, also did a stint at Atari.

    Now I’m wondering if Atari didn’t turn down the idea for the personal computer twice: once from Ted Hoff, and once from Steve Jobs. 🙂

    You have to wonder how the personal computer ever came to be….

    Like

  3. Karim: I told several executives to buy Flickr (among other things) before Yahoo did and the answer that came back from an executive? A very long email with the words “business value” repeated 13 times.

    Like

  4. Karim: I told several executives to buy Flickr (among other things) before Yahoo did and the answer that came back from an executive? A very long email with the words “business value” repeated 13 times.

    Like

  7. Granville: I responded by telling Microsoft that they don’t get small things while they are small and before they get big anymore. They used to. But now have gotten much more conservative.

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  8. Granville: I responded by telling Microsoft that they don’t get small things while they are small and before they get big anymore. They used to. But now have gotten much more conservative.

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  9. The question, of course: which small things will turn into big things, and which ones will fade and simply suck up money in the process? That’s where business genius has to lie.

    Flickr is great, but I still don’t think Yahoo! is making money from it.

    And, on the other hand, Microsoft does not seem averse to trying out a whole bunch of money-losing projects supported by the Windows and Office business.

    But Intel and Atari were simply trying to be realistic. They were wrong, but Intel, for one, seems to have done okay since then. 🙂

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  10. The question, of course: which small things will turn into big things, and which ones will fade and simply suck up money in the process? That’s where business genius has to lie.

    Flickr is great, but I still don’t think Yahoo! is making money from it.

    And, on the other hand, Microsoft does not seem averse to trying out a whole bunch of money-losing projects supported by the Windows and Office business.

    But Intel and Atari were simply trying to be realistic. They were wrong, but Intel, for one, seems to have done okay since then. 🙂

    Like

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