Jack Tramiel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jack Tramiel
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Tramiel in 2007
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| Born |
Idek Trzmiel
December 13, 1928 |
| Died | April 8, 2012 (aged 83) Stanford, California, U.S.
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| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Helen
(m. 1947–2012) |
| Children | 3 |
Jack Tramiel (born Idek Trzmiel; December 13, 1928 – April 8, 2012) was a Polish-American businessman. He was a survivor of the Holocaust, a terrible time in history. He is famous for starting Commodore International, a company that made many popular home computers. These include the Commodore PET, VIC-20, and Commodore 64. Later, he also started Atari Corporation after buying parts of the original Atari, Inc.. In 1982, Time magazine called the computer "Machine of the Year," and Jack Tramiel was one of six people highlighted.
Contents
Early Life and Challenges
Jack Tramiel was born Idek Trzmiel into a Jewish family in Poland. When he was 11, Germany invaded Poland in 1939. His family was forced to live in the Łódź Ghetto, a special area for Jewish people. There, he worked in a clothing factory.
Later, his family was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This was a very dangerous place. Jack was chosen for a work group and sent to a labor camp near Hanover with his father. His father sadly died there. In April 1945, American soldiers from the 84th Infantry Division rescued Jack from the camp.
After the war, on November 10, 1947, Jack moved to the United States. He joined the U.S. Army and learned how to fix office machines like typewriters. This skill would help him later in life.
Starting Commodore
In 1953, Jack Tramiel started his own business. He bought a shop in New York to fix office machines. He got a loan of $25,000 from the U.S. Army to help him. He wanted a strong, military-sounding name for his company. Since names like "Admiral" and "General" were already taken, he chose "Commodore." He first called his business Commodore Portable Typewriter.
From Typewriters to Calculators
In 1956, Commodore started working with a company from Czechoslovakia to sell typewriters in North America. Because of rules at the time, they had to assemble the typewriters in Toronto, Canada. This led to the creation of Commodore Business Machines.
Later, Japanese companies started selling typewriters at lower prices. This made it hard for Commodore to make money. A businessman named Irving Gould invested money in Commodore to help. Gould suggested Jack visit Japan to learn how they made products so cheaply.
In Japan, Jack saw the first digital calculators. He realized that old-fashioned mechanical adding machines were no longer the future. So, Commodore switched to making electronic calculators. They used parts from other companies, like Texas Instruments (TI).
However, TI soon started making their own calculators and selling them for less than Commodore's cost. Irving Gould helped Commodore again. This time, Commodore bought a company called MOS Technology, Inc.. This company made the computer chips needed for calculators. Their main designer, Chuck Peddle, told Jack that computers were the real future, not calculators. Jack told him to build a computer to prove it.
Making Home Computers for Everyone
Chuck Peddle created the Commodore PET, which used MOS Technology's MOS Technology 6502 processor. It was shown in 1977 and quickly became popular. The PET was especially successful in schools because it was an all-in-one computer. Commodore sold these directly to big customers, which helped them succeed.
As technology improved, the PET's black and green screen wasn't as exciting as computers with color graphics, like the Apple II. So, Commodore created the VIC-20. This computer was a huge hit and was the first computer to sell over one million units.
Next came the Commodore 64, which became the best-selling home computer of all time. It sold millions of units. During this time, Jack Tramiel famously said, "We need to build computers for the masses, not the classes." This meant he wanted to make computers affordable for everyone, not just for a few wealthy people.
Leaving Commodore
Jack Tramiel and Irving Gould, who owned a large part of Commodore, often disagreed. Jack was known for being very involved in every detail of the company. He wanted to approve almost every expense. This made it hard for Commodore to keep other top managers.
On January 13, 1984, Jack Tramiel left a meeting with Commodore's board of directors and never came back. The exact reason for his departure is not fully clear, but it surprised many people because Commodore was doing so well. The news reported that his disagreements with Irving Gould were the cause.
Jack said he left because he and Gould had different ideas about how to run the company. He felt he couldn't be happy working there anymore. One of Jack's sons, Leonard Tramiel, later said that Jack disagreed with Irving Gould using company money for personal things. Jack felt that if he couldn't run the company his way, he had to leave.
Starting Atari Corporation
After leaving Commodore, Jack Tramiel took a short break. Then, he started a new company called Tramel Technology, Ltd. He spelled it "Tramel" so people would say his name correctly. His goal was to create a new kind of home computer.
In July 1984, Tramel Technology bought the part of Atari Inc. that made products for consumers. Atari had been struggling because of a big drop in video game sales in 1983. Tramel Technology then changed its name to Atari Corporation.
Under Jack's leadership, Atari Corporation made the Atari ST computer line. These computers used the MC68000 processor and competed directly with Apple's Macintosh and Commodore's Amiga. The Atari ST was very successful in Europe and popular with professional musicians around the world.
Even with the success of the ST, some people were hesitant to work with Atari because of Jack's tough business style. One person said that dealing with Commodore was like dealing with "Attila the Hun." However, others believed in him, saying, "Jack Tramiel is a winner. I wouldn't bet against him."
In the late 1980s, Jack's son, Sam Tramiel, took over as President and CEO of Atari. But in 1995, Sam had a heart attack, and Jack returned to manage the company. In 1996, Jack sold Atari to a company called Jugi Tandon Storage.
Later Years and Legacy
Jack Tramiel was one of the people who helped start the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This important museum opened in 1993. He also helped find U.S. Army veteran Vernon Tott, who was one of the soldiers who rescued survivors from the Ahlem labor camp. Jack honored Tott with a special message on a wall at the Holocaust Museum, saying, "To Vernon W. Tott, My Liberator and Hero."
Jack Tramiel retired in 1996. He passed away from heart failure on April 8, 2012, at the age of 83. His work greatly influenced the world of home computers, making them available to millions of people.
