Hybrid: The Man Who Beat IBM: How Compaq Saved the PC

Gareth Edwards

“It hit me at some point. We’re the only one that can do this. If we don’t, it won't happen.” – Rod Canion, CEO of Compaq.

In 1981, IBM launched the PC. By making it an open standard, they changed computing forever. Six years later, they announced the release of the IBM PS/2. An attempt to take back full control of the market they had created. The plan should have succeeded. One Company stood in their way: Compaq.

In this talk, we will cover the history of Compaq and how they rose to be IBM’s biggest competitor as a ‘clone’ manufacturer. We’ll then look at how Compaq CEO, Rod Canion stood firm against IBM’s secret offer to split the market with its major rival. Instead, he orchestrated the remarkable and successful plot to keep the PC an open platform forever.

Gareth Edwards is a digital strategist, writer, and historian. He is an avid collector of old computers, rare books and interviews, and abandoned cats. Follow him on Mastodon and BlueSky.

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