Linkabit
Linkabit was a technology company founded in 1968 by Irwin M. Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi and Leonard Kleinrock. Linkabit and alumni have created a large number of technology companies, most notably, Qualcomm. Linkabit is currently a division of L-3 Communications.[1]
Corporate history
Linkabit Corporation was formed in mid-1968 in Los Angeles by Irwin M. Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi and Leonard Kleinrock. Kleinrock soon left. [2]
Linkabit was sold for $25 million to M/A-COM in 1979. The Linkabit operation continued under M/A-COM for the first part of the 1980s.[3] VideoCipher, an analog scrambling system for television, was developed by the Linkabit works at M/A-COM in 1983. The first IETF meeting in January, 1986, was hosted by M/A-COM at its San Diego Linkabit facilities.[4][5] However, Jacobs and Viterbi, who had stayed with M/A-COM following the sale, left in 1985, and by 1990 M/A-COM had sold off Linkabit piecemeal.[2]
More than 75 direct or indirect Linkabit spinoff companies have been identified — a rate twice that of Fairchild Semiconductor, the legendary progenitor of Silicon Valley.[6]
The best known Linkabit spinoff is Qualcomm, which was founded by Jacobs, Viterbi and five other Linkabit alumni in July 1985.[2]
All three Linkabit founders have received National Medals for lifetime achievements. [7]
References
- ^ [1], L-3 Communications - Linkabit page.
- ^ a b c [2], Digitizing Communications - Linkabit page.
- ^ "M/A-COM Linkabit". The San Diego Technology Archive at UC San Diego. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ [3], List of IETF Meetings.
- ^ Gross, Philip (January 1986). "Proceedings of the 16-17 January 1986 DARPA Gateway Algorithms and Data Structure Task Force". MITRE Corporation: 1.
The fourth meeting of the DARPA Gateway Algorithms and Data Structures Task Force was held 16-17 January 1986 at M/A Com Government Systems in San Diego, California.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ [4], San Diego Union Tribune - Linkabit genealogy.
- ^ [5], San Diego Telecom - National Medals for Linkabit founders.