Taligent:Taligent: WhatWhat WentWent Wrong?Wrong?

JackJack D.D. GrimesGrimes August,August, 2003,2003, 1010 yearsyears later….later….

HOT Chips 15, Stanford, CA 66 minuteminute videovideo WhatWhat isis aa “Taligent?”“Taligent?”

„ SimilarSimilar toto Java,Java, crosscross--platform,platform, writewrite onceonce runrun anywhere,anywhere, „ 17001700 classes,classes, fullyfully OO,OO, butbut C++,C++, 22 millionmillion LOCLOC „ SimilarSimilar toto OSOS X,X, i.e.,i.e., MachMach OS,OS, "classic""classic" environmentenvironment ++ newnew OOOO appapp environmentenvironment runningrunning onon samesame kernel;kernel; „ SimilarSimilar toto BeOS,BeOS, interactive,interactive, multimedia,multimedia, 3D,3D, sound,sound, animationanimation Well,Well, wewe diddid somesome thingsthings rightright

„ DemoDemo ofof thethe texttext && i18ni18n systemsystem isis partpart ofof 33--44 hourshours ofof videovideo onon TaligentTaligent TechnologyTechnology „ VideoVideo createdcreated inin 19931993 byby jdg,jdg, voice/demovoice/demo byby TomTom Chavez,Chavez, applicationsapplications dudedude „ ThisThis capabilitycapability isis partpart ofof thethe SunSun JDK,JDK, v1.1v1.1 andand laterlater (years(years ago)ago) „ SawSaw aa similarsimilar demodemo ~2~2 yearsyears agoago atat aa SunSun HeadquartersHeadquarters JavaJava BriefingBriefing AndAnd ……

„ 140+140+ USUS patents,patents, moremore internationalinternational „ HoldingHolding company,company, OTLCOTLC „ HowHow toto valuevalue thethe asset?asset? „ LicensesLicenses „ SunSun JDKJDK forfor text/internationaltext/international subsystemsubsystem „ SunSun JDKJDK forfor 2D2D graphicsgraphics „ OracleOracle forfor text/int’ltext/int’l „ NetscapeNetscape forfor text/int’ltext/int’l „ HPHP forfor C++C++ compilercompiler WhatWhat wentwent wrong?wrong?

„ InIn 1992,1992, aa “deal”“deal” waswas struckstruck betweenbetween JohnJohn SculleySculley andand JimJim Cannavino,Cannavino, 50/5050/50 JVJV Apple/IBMApple/IBM „ 170+170+ peoplepeople whenwhen thethe doorsdoors openedopened „ 400+400+ highhigh waterwater markmark (including(including contractors)contractors) „ JoeJoe GG appointedappointed CEOCEO ofof Taligent,Taligent, 30yr30yr IBMIBM veteran,veteran, OS/2OS/2 championchampion „ GetGet eveneven withwith BillBill GG forfor OS/2OS/2 „ C++,C++, neededneeded forfor systemsystem developmentdevelopment butbut wrongwrong forfor targettarget appapp developersdevelopers „ SumSum ofof everyone’severyone’s requirementsrequirements == resultresult waswas tootoo big,big, slow,slow, complexcomplex TooToo manymany cookscooks

„ AppleApple -- didn’tdidn’t carecare thatthat muchmuch „ lost interest after Sculley left + Mac antibodies + wanted a client, media-rich OS „ IBMIBM -- strongstrong interest,interest, ownown agendaagenda „ really wanted technology farm for own products + expected to control the outcome while getting others to share costs + not committed to Apple partnership once Cannavino left + wanted a enterprise, client/server OS „ HPHP -- seriouslyseriously interestedinterested inin technologytechnology „ worried about missing the OO boat + Sun and HP due diligence for about a year, HP bought in, Sun didn't => HP lost interest „ TaligentTaligent -- makemake aa standalonestandalone businessbusiness andand unseatunseat MicrosoftMicrosoft withwith aa newnew OSOS TheThe “Big“Big Switch”Switch”

„ HadHad aa functioningfunctioning standstand--alonealone OS,OS, gotgot redirectedredirected toto Mach,Mach, thenthen redirectedredirected toto dropdrop OSOS altogetheraltogether (claiming(claiming “no“no oneone wantswants aa newnew OS,”OS,” eveneven thoughthough subsequentlysubsequently therethere waswas NT,NT, OSOS X,X, Linux,Linux, Java,Java, etc.)etc.) „ AppleApple andand IBMIBM engineersengineers started,started, andand failedfailed at,at, theirtheir ownown effortsefforts likelike OpenOpen DocDoc toto dodo thethe “same”“same” thingthing (frameworks)(frameworks) forfor theirtheir existingexisting OS’sOS’s TaligentTaligent miscmisc

„ Too many smart CS people, not product savvy „ Run like a big company, not a start-up „ Performance bonuses, but no stock options „ Business model problem (from too many cooks) „ Spent $250 Million in 4 years of JV, too much money „ $7-8 Million for furnishing of main building on De Anza „ Patent portfolio could stop existing companies „ Joe G bails, Dick Guarino comes in with new direction and new biz model, but he dies, and so does Taligent. „ Taligent acquired by IBM, wholly owned subsidiary, then absorbed, logo gone. :-(