Subj : Jack Tramiel
To   : Simon Geddes
From : Dave Drum
Date : Sun Feb 02 2020 06:48 am

-=> Simon Geddes wrote to Dave Drum <=-

> Jack, who dumped CBM in favour of Atari (nee Tramiel Technology Ltd.)
> was just as much about money as Irving (Gould) and Medhi (Ali) who came
> after him at Commodore and busted it out for fun and (especially) profit.

SG> I don't think he was really dumped. Irving sacked him. Not sure how
SG> that's possible, and what the actual reasons were. Some say because he
SG> wanted to bring his sons in. Irving said he was worried about JAck's
SG> health, and didn't think he was the man to take the company to beyond a
SG> billion.

They use long, sharp knives and great mendacity in the world of high
finance. I missed the palace coup part of the story - but it certainly
rings true.

SG> Maybe Jack planned to build Atari up to the point where he could buy
SG> our Commodore and get his creation back. Something akin to the Steve
SG> Jobs story, where he was ousted but found a back route back in.

I find/found it ironic that just at the time Jack leapt (for whatever
reason(s)) to Atari that CBM acquired Amiga Technologies which Atari had
provided the financing to get going. So, Tramiel, who had been sorta
kinda thinking of using the Amiga to kick Commode Door's butt had to
resort to the ST series (520 and 1040) to try to compete. The ST never
was even a near equal to the Amiga. Shame that Gould and Ali smelled
more profit$ in bankrupting the company than it continuing - like Apple.

... The Amiga Trinity: Dave Haynie, Jay Miner, Fred Fish
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