If you are reading this LinkedIn post on your smartphone and plan to post on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or TikTok – you can thank my Palm Pilot.

💽 Palm was founded in 1992, writing software for a new thing called hand-held Personal Digital Assistants – PDAs.
💽 Palm created the first-ever operating system for PDAs powering products made by Casio and Apple.
💽 Palm developed the first-ever synchronization software for HP and handwriting recognition software for Apple’s Newton MessagePad.

In 1995, Palm took everything they learned about software development and released their PDA, the Palm Pilot📱

The Palm Pilot was revolutionary.
It was simple, fun to use, and half the price of Apple.
It was the first PDA synchronized with desktop devices and applications.

🚢 Palm was a juggernaut, releasing a new version of the Palm Pilot every year, each more powerful and innovative than its predecessor.
🚢 Palm went from 31,000 employees to over 100,000, most of whom were software developers.

Then things went wrong – spectacularly wrong.

>> In 2003, Palm spun off its software division and turned to partnerships, starting with licensing the Windows mobile operating system.
>> In 2006, Palm, in partnership with Verizon and Microsoft, released the Treo, one of the first successful smartphones in the world.

Although the Treo was a hit – the horse was out of the barn.

>> In June 2007, Palm partnered with a private equity firm.
>> In 2009, Palm released their second smartphone in partnership with Sprint.
>> In 2010, Hewlett Packard acquired Palm.
>> HP shut down Palm in 2011 – RIP.

Many people think the iPhone killed Palm.
I believe the iPhone put the nails in the coffin.

Palm killed itself in 2003 when it stopped being a software company and started being a hardware company trying to forge strategic partnerships.

The key to successful pivots in business and careers is to keep one foot planted in what you’ve learned, know, and have expertise while placing your other foot in the potential future.
It’s all about iterations.

In 2003, Palm stopped keeping its foot planted firmly in what it knew, software development, placed both feet in the potential future, and failed spectacularly.

Don’t be like Palm.