Editing Lisp Machines (section)

{{Short description|Computer company (1979–1987)}}
{{about|the company|the type of computer|Lisp machine}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Lisp Machines, Inc.
| logo = Lisp Machines logo.svg
| type = 
| industry = Computers
| founded = {{Start date and age|1979}} in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], United States
| founder = [[Richard Greenblatt (programmer)|Richard Greenblatt]]
| defunct = {{End date|1987}}
| fate = Bankruptcy
| products = 
| num_employees = 
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
}}
'''Lisp Machines, Inc.''' was a company formed in 1979 <!--or 1980?-->by [[Richard Greenblatt (programmer)|Richard Greenblatt]] of [[MIT]]'s [[MIT AI Lab|Artificial Intelligence Laboratory]] to build [[Lisp machine]]s. It was based in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]].

By 1979, the Lisp Machine Project at MIT, originated and headed by Greenblatt, had constructed over 30 [[Lisp_machine|CADR]] computers for various projects at MIT. [[Russell Noftsker]], who had formerly been administrator of the MIT Artificial Intelligence lab some years previously and who had since started and run a small company, was convinced that computers based on the artificial intelligence language [[LISP]] had a bright future commercially. There were a number of ready customers who were anxious to get machines similar to ones they had seen at MIT.

Greenblatt and Noftsker had differing ideas about the structure and financing of the proposed company.   Greenblatt believed
the company could be "bootstrapped", i.e. financed practically from scratch from the order flow from customers (some of whom were willing to pay in advance).  This would mean that the principals of the company would retain control.  Noftsker favored
a more conventional venture capital model, raising a considerable sum of money, but with the investors having control of the company.  The two negotiated at length, but neither would compromise. The ensuing discussions of the choice rent the lab into two factions. In February, 1979, matters came to a head. Greenblatt believed that the proceeds from the construction and sale of a few machines could be profitably reinvested in the funding of the company. Most sided with Noftsker, believing that a commercial venture fund-backed company had a better chance of surviving and commercializing Lisp Machines than Greenblatt's proposed self-sustaining start-up. They went on to start [[Symbolics]] Inc.

Alexander Jacobson, a consultant from [[Control Data Corporation|CDC]], was trying to put together an AI natural language computer application, came to Greenblatt, seeking a Lisp machine for his group to work with. Eight months after Greenblatt had his disastrous conference with Noftsker, he had yet to produce anything. Alexander Jacobson decided that the only way Greenblatt was going to actually start his company and build the Lisp machines that Jacobson needed, was if he pushed and financially helped Greenblatt launch his company. Jacobson pulled together business plans, a board, and a partner, F. Stephen Wyle, for Greenblatt. The newfound company was named ''LISP Machine, Inc.'' (LMI), and was funded mostly by order flow including CDC orders, via Jacobson.