Ken Olsen Remembered as a High-Tech Pioneer

By State Sen. Barry Finegold and Rouzbeh Yassini

When pioneer and entrepreneur Ken Olsen passed away this week, he left behind the great legacy of the Digital Equipment Corporation, which has directly benefited each of us – especially those of us here in the Merrimack Valley.  

Mr. Olsen’s Maynard-based company made significant contributions to the world of technology, starting in the 1950s. They were the first company to produce “minicomputers” – smaller, less expensive units that companies could purchase in higher amounts for their scientists, engineers, or business managers. Before the minicomputer, employees would wait for specially-trained operators to input their information into a mainframe and wait for the results. Minicomputers made it possible for companies to buy them for individual use, greatly increasing efficiency and production. Thanks largely to Mr. Olsen’s ingenuity, the minicomputer helped to spur the “Massachusetts Miracle”—a period of economic growth in the state based around high-technology companies in the 1980s. The minicomputer and Digital put Massachusetts on the map for high-tech innovation.

Those who have reported on Mr. Olsen’s passing over the past week have profiled a man Fortune Magazine once called, “the most successful entrepreneur in the history of American business.’’ Thanks to his leadership, Digital has been called the Google or Apple of its day. But Olsen was more than the prototypical entrepreneur for which he is rightfully remembered.  As important as his brilliance was his deep faith and his core values of honesty and integrity that garnered the respect of those who not only worked closely with him – but those who worked for him.

Mr. Olsen’s motto was “Do the Right Thing,” and there is every indication it was a motto he stuck to both in life and in work.  His values and skill as a leader set the tone at Digital, and both this and his work to decentralize his company became a model for innovative and effective management.

In remembering Mr. Olsen, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Paul Allen thanked him for providing them with the base of tools that aided in launching their success – illustrating that Olsen’s originality has encouraged and driven a new generation of inventors. 

Mr. Olsen was a pioneer. He brought high-tech businesses and entrepreneurs to the Greater Merrimack Valley in droves. Mr. Olsen’s modern day equivalents are at companies like Wyeth Biotech, Wang Laboratories, Zoll Medical, Smith & Nephew and Nexamp, among others. Telecommunications, biotechnology and other high-tech businesses will be the ones driving job creation in the future, and their growing presence on the Route 495 belt is extremely valuable. We need to continue to encourage these businesses to grow and continue to reside in the area. 

It is important for us to honor Mr. Olsen’s contributions to the world of technology because in some form or another they have touched each of us personally. When remembering Olsen, let’s think about how our lives would be different without the use of our computers, wireless access, or even our smart phones – and then let’s be thankful we don’t have to. We look forward to the next wave of technological progress that might not have been but for Mr. Olsen’s groundbreaking work.

Rouzbeh Yassini is CEO of YAS Capital Partners. Barry Finegold is a state senator from Andover, representing Andover, Tewksbury, Dracut and Lawrence.