John R. Opel, Who Made I.B.M. a Colossus, Dies at 86

I realize that if you're a twentysomething today that IBM almost does't mean anything -- but back in the 80s they really opened the door to the PC industry. And what's amazing is that they're an old guard company that really embraced a disruptive technology -- something that a company like DEC tried, but failed at. By the way if you're interested in the story of how the IMB PC got started this is a nice starting point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer#Origins

As a 21 year old building a tech startup, I can't help but feel like our industry is experiencing a very important shift. To me, it's not about mobile, apps, or the social stuff. It's about the tech leaders that are leaving us and the incoming generation that is only beginning to enter the workforce. Seems like there is a lot I should learn learn from John Opel.