TECH TITANS

RISE & FALL OF '80s/'90s GIANTS

- Aamir Khollam

The ‘80s and ‘90s era has sadly become nostalgia bait in pop culture. In recent years there have been a plethora of films and TV shows which base their entire aesthetic and appeal on ‘80s/‘90s nostalgia which deflects attention on what these decades actually represent. Everything in that era was not about Bryan Adams, Queen or Bon Jovi as modern pop culture trends have made the younger generation believe. It was the foundation of the digital world we live in today.

During this evolving period, humanity started to unlock the true potential of its technological prowess. A few tech companies emerged as giants during this time which helped reshape the tech industry we know today. The pioneers in this era harnessed innovation, strength, and ambition, and embodied the human spirit to change the world. Sure, the era marked the ascent of some of the biggest technological institutions today but there were also some inevitable failures during this time. It is time to explore some of the dynamic forces that helped shape the technological landscape in the ‘80s/‘90s —

IBM 

Back in the early 1980s, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) was the leading pioneer of the tech world. The company dominated in mainframe computer market. Its prominence in the computer market was such that it quickly became synonymous with computing itself, a feat no other company has been able to achieve since then. However, while IBM was leading the path it created in mainstream computing, competitors like Apple and Microsoft were popping up at a quick pace.