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. :-(.