Atari, Inc. was a pioneering video game and computer company that was originally founded on June 27, 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in Sunnyvale, California.
History
Wozniak Pong, Steve Jobs & Atari
At age 18 in 1974, Steve Jobs was hired by Al Alcorn as a technician and became employee #40.[1] In early 1975, Jobs brought in his friend Steve Wozniak to work on the design of Atari's Breakout video game.[2][3] Bushnell, who had supervised Jobs, remarked that he was "difficult but valuable". When Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Bushnell declined an offer from Jobs to invest $50,000 for a 1/3 stake in their new venture.[4] Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications for $28 million in 1976 and founded Chuck E. Cheese in the following year.[5]
The current brand is marketed by Atari Interactive, a subsidiary of Atari SA, based in Paris, France.[6]
References
- ↑ Breakout - Jobs and Woz Bust Through by William Hunter, The Dot Eaters. 2013-03.
- ↑ A Breakout Story by Ethan Johnson, The History of How We Play. 2018-12-29.
- ↑ The Making of Breakout, Retro Gamer. 2014-05-13.
- ↑ Jobs' first boss Nolan Bushnell: 'Steve was difficult but valuable' by Rik Myslewski, The Register. 2013-03-30.
- ↑ Folger Estate Up for Sale In Woodside / Atari founder asking $8.9 million for it by Mark Simon, San Francisco Chronicle. 1996-04-25.
- ↑ "Anthony Jacobson and Pierre Hintze Hire Release FINAL", Atari, 7 October 2009.
External links
- Atari official site
- Atari at the Apple App Store
- Atari, Inc. at Wikipedia
Articles
- The History of Breakout at Big Fish Games (2012-05-30)
- The Inside Story of Pong and the Early Days of Atari by Leslie Berlin at Wired (2017-11-15)
- Al Alcorn, Creator of Pong, Explains How Early Home Computers Owe Their Color Graphics to This One Cheap, Sleazy Trick by Stephen Cass at IEEE Spectrum (2020-04-21)
