A closer look
Corporate extortion is practically an American pastime, especially when it involves bleeding-edge tech. In the 1940s, Dr. An Wang invented the pulse transfer controlling device, making magnetic core memory practical and changing computing forever. IBM, terrified of anyone else owning the future of data storage, decided they needed it. When Wang filed for a patent, IBM dragged him into a brutal, protracted legal and financial war of attrition. Exhausted and needing capital to grow his own company, Wang capitulated, selling his revolutionary patent to the tech Goliath for a measly $500,000. He used the cash to build Wang Laboratories, eventually taking his revenge by becoming one of IBM's fiercest competitors.
