The Fascinating Story of HP, The Audio Oscillator That Started Silicon Valley In A Garage

HP began in 1938 inside a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California, when two Stanford graduates, William Hewlett and David Packard, pooled $538 to build an audio oscillator. That device, the HP 200A, used a simple incandescent light bulb to solve a distortion problem that had stumped bigger, better-funded competitors. In 1938, a Walt Disney sound engineer discovered the 200A and asked for a modified version to help calibrate the groundbreaking surround sound system in "Fantasia." Disney's order for eight units brought in more money than Hewlett and Packard had started the company with. That single sale launched a partnership that would go on to help build the foundation of Silicon Valley. This video covers the full story: the garage where it all started, the Disney deal that proved the business could survive, World War II contracts that forced the company to grow, the founding of the Stanford Industrial Park, and how a single oscillator design stayed in production for nearly 50 years. It also traces HP's evolution into computing and the world's first handheld scientific calculator, and how a $538 startup eventually grew into a company employing 350,000 people worldwide. If you enjoyed learning how one small invention helped start an entire industry, consider subscribing and leaving a like.