“It is unique that a scientist and engineer believed very strongly that those fields were compatible with faith in God,” Tymann said. “Olsen believed that science revealed the creator and revealed the genius of God, as opposed to being in conflict. He felt the study of science would bring us closer to God and our faith rather than pull us away.”
As a result of his beliefs, Olsen funded a science center at the school, subsequently named after him—one of the rare times this humble man allowed his name to be thus used.
At the dedication of that science building, Olsen said, “Science is more than a study of molecules and calculations. It is the love of knowledge and the continued search for truth. The study of the sciences promotes humility, leaving us with a clear sense that we will never understand all there is to know. At the same time, science provides a defense for truth, authenticates Christianity, and stems from the nature of God.”
Yes, Olsen was quite well known for his humbleness. Despite his many rewards—Fortune magazine named him the most successful entrepreneur in 1986—and the success of DEC, he maintained an average, non-lavish lifestyle.
He drove a 1963 Ford Pinto to work when he was worth millions and often had coffee with his employees. On his IRS form, he didn’t write CEO. Instead, he put “engineer.” There were no special parking places at DEC for executives either. He believed in employee recognition, customer focus, and balance of work and family.
When he was fired from DEC in 1992, he didn’t want it glossed over by saying he retired. He wanted it accurately stated to the employees. When his retirement came, he chose a party with cake in the cafeteria with his employees rather than a lavish celebration.
Working Environment
So, what was it like to work at DEC?
“He created an environment where very good people could work and do what they think is right. It was an environment where bright, energetic people liked to work,” said Hindle.
“He believed in giving people a lot of freedom like he had at MIT. So, he didn’t want anyone to be over-controlled. He wanted to bring in very bright people who were experimental, who liked the idea of innovation. He remembered how that worked at MIT and made his environment like that—a more experimental environment,” Hindle said.
“He really believed in ownership of a project,” added Tymann, recalling that Olsen often said, “He who proposes, does.”
Olsen had high expectations of his employees, always strived for perfection, and loved to see a team succeed. “He strongly believed that if you committed to a project, you would own it and follow through. He didn’t expect to hear excuses. He expected to see results. He would also recognize that he needed to provide the resources you needed to get the results,” said Tymann.
“He was understanding when you had established a schedule and then when it took longer to accomplish a project. But, he was frustrated when he thought someone was arguing in the wrong direction,” Hindle said. “He didn’t suffer fools.”
While Olsen always strived for perfection, noted Hindle, he treated people with respect. “He cared about people. For example, when a brilliant engineer died in an auto crash, Olsen continued to pay his salary long afterward. He was a very caring person.”
What also made Olsen stand out was his ability to look at problems from a different angle. “I remember when I had an issue bothering me and I would talk with him about it, he would always come up with a different way of working on it. He was very creative,” said Hindle. “He was brilliant in analyzing difficult situations and coming at them from a new point of view that you had not thought of.”
Nevertheless, he most notably failed to see the all-consuming role computers would play in our lives. DEC thrived because it was able to produce smaller, cheaper, but still powerful computers usable in all areas of business and industry. But Olsen didn’t believe they’d become all pervasive in our homes, so he failed to catch up when that parade started down Main Street.
A Model To Follow
Still, he leaves a legacy of computer and management innovation, as well as a philanthropic model others follow today. Olsen, who died on Feb. 6, 2011, will be remembered “for running a magnificent, innovative, fun company that was successful for 30 years,” said Hindle (see “Giants May Pass, But Their Computing Legacy Lives On”).
“We had a very good product,” Hindle said.
Olsen, though, probably was most grateful for the opportunity to serve young scientists and engineers to be. While the students at the Olsen Science Center at Gordon College may or may not know whom their building is named after, that probably wouldn’t bother Olsen. What would matter is that they have the opportunity to explore new ideas in science and analyze various viewpoints in the context of the Christian faith and principles Olsen so strongly believed.
Honors
Ken Olson received several distinguished honors during his career:
- Vermilye Medal (1980)
- IEEE Engineering Leadership Recognition Award (1986)
- National Inventors Hall of Fame (1990)
- National Medal of Technology (1993)
- Computer History Museum (1996)
- Computer Science and Engineering Board of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.
- President’s Science Advisory Committee.
Olson also received patents for electronic components that became the basis of future hardware innovation, including the saturable switch, diode transformer, gate circuit, magnetic core memory (update), and line printer buffer.
Who Needs A Home Computer?
Ken Olsen is known for saying, “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.” He made the statement in 1977 at a meeting of the World Future Society in Boston.
“Ken did not believe that people needed the computing power in their home, but rather access to computing power through a terminal that was tied to a remote computer. This was interpreted as not supporting the need for a PC in every home,” said Dan Tymann, executive vice president and chief of staff at Gordon College, Wenham, Mass.
The irony is that today the successful model is “computing in the cloud,” where we all have personal access to the games, external programs, storage, applications, and connectivity through cell phones, droids, laptops, and other devices connected to external computing power on the Internet with companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook. There is very little computing power in the home.
“Ken was such a visionary that he saw this model long before others,” said Tymann.