Part I — The story
The story
Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and effectively launched the commercial video-game industry, first with the arcade hit Pong and then with the Atari home console that brought gaming into living rooms. He turned a novel technology into mass entertainment and created an entirely new industry from close to nothing.
Atari's freewheeling, creative culture became legendary, and Bushnell famously gave an early job to a young Steve Jobs, who absorbed lessons he later applied at Apple. Bushnell went on to found the Chuck E. Cheese entertainment-restaurant chain, applying the same instinct for combining technology with fun. His career had dramatic ups and downs, but his role as a father of the video-game industry is secure.
Bushnell is a case study in creating a category — taking an emerging technology and turning it into a new form of mass entertainment — and in the outsized cultural influence a pioneering, creative company can have.
Part II — The playbook
The playbook
Create a new category
Bushnell turned a novel technology into a whole industry.
Cultivate a creative culture
Atari's freewheeling culture bred talent and ideas.
Combine technology with fun
From Atari to Chuck E. Cheese, he merged tech and entertainment.
In their words
Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.
Business is the greatest game of all.
The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.
What to read next
- Finding the Next Steve Jobs — Nolan Bushnell
Why this matters
The thinking behind these decisions connects to models you can study directly:
Frequently asked questions
What did Nolan Bushnell do?
He founded Atari and launched the commercial video-game industry — with the arcade hit Pong and the Atari home console — later founding the Chuck E. Cheese chain.
What's the connection between Bushnell and Steve Jobs?
Bushnell gave a young Steve Jobs an early job at Atari, where Jobs absorbed lessons about technology and business he later applied at Apple.