 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computers |
| Founded | 1973 in San Leandro, California |
| Founder | William Millard |
| Defunct | October 1979 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Products | IMSAI 8080 |
IMS Associates, Inc., or IMSAI, was a microcomputer company, responsible for one of the earliest successes in personal computing, the IMSAI 8080. The company was founded in 1973 by William Millard and was based in San Leandro, California.[1] Their first product launch was the IMSAI 8080 in 1975. One of the company's subsidiaries was ComputerLand.[2] IMS stood for "Information Management Sciences".[3]
IMS Associates required all executives and key employees to take the EST Standard Training. Forbes considered Millard's requirements - which placed a heavy emphasis on self-actualization and encouraged vast discrepancies between executives and staff - were a key contributor to the downfall of the company,[4] and Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine concurred in Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer, noting that Millard's EST-induced unwillingness to admit a task might be impossible was a key factor in IMSAI's demise.[5]
- ^ Littman, Jonathan (1987). Once Upon a Time in ComputerLand: The Amazing, Billion-Dollar Tale of Bill Millard. Los Angeles: Price Stern Sloan. ISBN 0-89586-502-5.
- ^ Staff (1990-12-30). "Stores Acquired By Computerland". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Fischer, Thomas (2008). "IMSAI Pre-History: The Hypercube and Other Tales". Archived from the original on 2018-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Crosby, Kip (2001-02-04). "History of Cults: A Trail of True Believers". Forbes. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Freiberger, Paul; Swaine, Michael (1984). Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-135892-7.