Launching HP Labs

HP Laboratories officially launched in 1966. The new division was created to give engineers the freedom to pursue research and development without the pressure of needing to find an immediate path to monetization for their discoveries, thus allowing them to discover the technologies of the future. Over the next 50 years, HP Labs would play a crucial part in countless ground-breaking Hewlett-Packard technologies. (From left to right: Barney Oliver, Don Hammond, Paul Stoft, John Cage, Tom Perkins and John Atalla.)