Launched in 1981 by three friends in a Houston diner, Compaq Computer set out to build a portable PC to take on IBM, the world’s most powerful technology company. Many companies had tried cloning the industry leader’s code, only to be trounced by IBM and its high-priced lawyers. Silicon Cowboys explores the remarkable David versus Goliath story, and eventual demise, of Compaq, an unlikely upstart who altered the future of computing and helped shape the world as we know it today.
Directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Jason Cohen, the film offers an insider's look into the explosive rise of the 1980's PC industry and is a refreshing alternative to the familiar narratives of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg.
“This is a well-told piece of history—a David versus Goliath story that pits Compaq against IBM — that can be enjoyed by tech types and the rest of us, too." —San Francisco Chronicle
“A lively look at an underexposed tech-biz success story.” —The Hollywood Reporter
“Silicon Cowboys offers a vivid and evocative portrait” and is “by turns amusing and illuminating.” —Variety
Please join us for this special screening of Silicon Cowboys, hosted by Friday Nights @CHM. After the screening, film director Jason Cohen will be available to take questions from the audience.
Computer History Museum
1401 N. Shoreline Boulevard
Mountain View,
CA,
94043