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| Jack Tramiel | |
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| Born | Idek Trzmiel December 13, 1928 Łódź, Poland |
| Known for | Commodore founder; Atari Corp. CEO |
| Spouse(s) | Helen (m. 1947–present) |
| Children | 3 |
Jack Tramiel (pol.Idek Trzmiel) (born 13 December 1928) is a businessman, best known for founding Commodore International[1] - manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computers. He is known for his hard-driving style and cutthroat deal-making.
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Biography
Tramiel was born as Idek Trzmiel in Łódź, Poland.[2]
After the Nazi invasion in 1939 his family was transported to the Jewish ghetto in Łódź, where he worked in a garment factory. When the ghettos were liquidated his family was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was examined by Dr. Mengele and selected for a work party, after which he and his father were sent to the labor camp Ahlem near Hanover, while his mother remained at Auschwitz. Like many other inmates, his father was reported to have died of Typhus in the work camp; however, Tramiel believes he was killed by an injection of gasoline. Tramiel was rescued from the labor camp in April 1945 by the 84th Infantry Division.
In November 1947, Tramiel emigrated to the United States. He soon joined the army, where he learned how to repair office equipment, including typewriters.
Commodore
In 1953, while working as a taxi driver, he bought a shop in the Bronx to repair office machinery,[3] and named it Commodore Portable Typewriter. Tramiel secured a $25,000 loan for the business from a U.S. Army entitlement.[4]
Tramiel started a business importing typewriters from Europe, and in 1955, to circumvent import restrictions, he set up Commodore Business Machines in Toronto. Tramiel wanted a military-style name for his company, but names like Admiral and General were already taken, so he settled on the Commodore name.[5]
In 1962, Commodore went public, but Tramiel remained head of Commodore until the mid-1980s. During this time, Commodore migrated from selling calculators to home computers, including the Commodore 64, which launched in 1982. It was during this time period that he coined the famous phrase, "We need to build computers for the masses, not the classes."
Tramel Technology and Atari Corporation
On 13 January 1984, Tramiel resigned from Commodore. After a short break from the computer industry, he formed a new company named Tramel Technology, Ltd., in order to design and sell a next-generation home computer.[6] The company was named "Tramel" to help ensure that it would be pronounced correctly (i.e., "tra - mel" instead of "tra - meal").[7]
On 3 July 1984, Tramel Technology bought the Consumer Division of Atari Inc. from Warner Communications,[6] which had fallen on hard times, due to the video game crash of 1983. TTL was then renamed Atari Corporation.
In the late 1980s, Tramiel decided to step away from day-to-day operations at Atari, naming his son, Sam, President and CEO. In 1995, Sam had a heart attack, and his father returned to oversee operations.
In 1996, Tramiel decided to sell Atari to disk-drive manufacturer Jugi Tandon Storage in a reverse merger deal. The newly merged company was named JTS Corporation, and Jack Tramiel joined the JTS board.
References
- ^ Terdiman, Daniel. "Woz, meet Jack Tramiel". CNET Networks, Inc.. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9832092-52.html. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Jack Tramiel". NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/people/093/000136682/. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "Chronological History of Commodore Computer". Up & Running Technologies Incorporated. http://www.commodore.ca/history/company/chronology_portcommodore.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "You Don't Know Jack!". Running. http://www.commodore.ca/history/people/1989_you_dont_know_jack.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ "As Commodore 64 Turns 25, Founders Reminisce". www.pcmag.com. 1994-03-29. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2231499,00.asp. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
- ^ a b "Time Warner Companies Inc, et al. · SC 13D/A". www.secinfo.com. 3/29/94. http://www.secinfo.com/dMESy.bd.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean. "A few words with Jack Tramiel and the Commodore 64 gang". Media News Group. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/12/20/a_few_words_with_jack_tramiel_and_the_commodore_64_gang/. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
External links
- You Don't Know Jack at a Commodore History Site
- 1985 episode of The Computer Chronicles featuring an extended interview with Tramiel
- The Color Computers - 1979 to 1980 — Excerpt from the book On the Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore (2005), Variant Press. (ISBN 0-9738649-0-7) documenting Tramiel's involvement with Commodore.
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