The Tech Archived · VIDEO ESSAY

The Rise and Fall of DEC: The Massachusetts Giant That Invented Minicomputing, Then Missed the PC

Before Microsoft. Before Apple’s resurgence. Before the internet changed everything — there was Digital Equipment Corporation. At its peak, DEC was the second-largest computer company in the world. It invented minicomputing, built machines that ran inside the U.S. military, and employed 120,000 people across twenty-seven countries. Then the PC arrived. And DEC made a choice. This is what happened next.