Dev Tools · 2h ago
PARC: The Lab That Invented the Future, but Xerox Missed the Boat
Between 1970 and 1980, Xerox's PARC lab invented the GUI, mouse, Ethernet, laser printer, and Smalltalk. Steve Jobs visited in 1979 and used the GUI for the Macintosh, while Xerox failed to commercialize most inventions. In 2023, Xerox donated PARC to SRI International, ending its 53-year run.
Meridian48 take
A cautionary tale for corporate R&D: inventing the future means nothing if you can't ship it.
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