Logitech International S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of computer peripherals and software. Headquartered in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland, the company has offices throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

, and the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. It is a component of the Swiss Market Index, and is listed on the

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

. The company develops and markets personal peripherals for PC navigation, video communication and collaboration, music and smart homes. This includes products like keyboards,

mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, tablet accessories, headphones and headsets,

webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

speakers, universal remotes and more. Its name is derived from ''logiciel'' (the French word for software) and 'tech'.

History

Logitech was founded in Apples, Vaud, Switzerland, in 1981, by Daniel "Bobo" Borel, Pierluigi Zappacosta, and former Olivetti engineer Giacomo Marini. Swiss-born Borel and Italian-born Zappacosta had met in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

while taking electrical engineering classes in the late 1970s at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, under professors such as

Ethernet Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

inventor Robert Metcalfe. Returning to Europe, they began working on new ideas near Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, and they brought in the Italian engineer Marini to round out the new company. Borel served as

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

, focused on sales and manufacturing, and he was

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

(CEO) for most of the 1990s. Zappacosta served as president and a period as CEO, and he oversaw research. He left Logitech in 1997 to lead Digital Persona, a

biometrics Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used t ...

company. The company founders first concentrated on creating word processing software for a large Swiss company, but the company canceled the project. Next, they turned to the

computer mouse A computer mouse (plural mice; also mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the Cursor (user interface)#Po ...

as an essential component of the

graphical user interface A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows user (computing), users to human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through Graphics, graphical icon (computing), icons and visual indicators such ...

used by a

workstation A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or computational science, scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating syste ...

requested by the Japanese company

Ricoh is a Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company. It was founded by the now-defunct commercial division of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) known as the ''Riken Concern'', on 6 February 1936 as . Ricoh's hea ...

. Logitech's first mouse, the P4 model, was produced in 1982 in Switzerland, based on an opto-mechanical design by Swiss inventor Jean-Daniel Nicoud working at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne). The company also published a version of Modula-2 for the IBM PC. One of Logitech's offices was at 165 University Avenue,

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

, US, home to a number of noted technology startups in the birthplace of

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

. In 1984, Logitech won a contract to supply

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...

with computer mice in the role of original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The mice that Logitech supplied to HP were made in a new factory in

Fremont, California Fremont () is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San F ...

, and they were branded HP: they did not display the Logitech name. In the early-to-mid-1980s, Logitech stopped making mice in Switzerland, instead opening factories in Cork, Ireland, and Hsinchu, Taiwan, in addition to the Fremont location. Logitech created the first wireless mouse in 1984, using

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

(IR) light to connect to the Metaphor Computer Systems workstation developed by David Liddle and Donald Massaro, former Xerox PARC engineers. The Metaphor's keyboard was also IR wireless. The consumer IR connection scheme required a clear line of sight for data transfer, and did not work well on a cluttered desk. The wireless mouse did not gain widespread adoption until 1991 when Logitech introduced the first mouse based on a radio frequency connection, not limited to line-of-sight. In 1985, Swiss inventor René Sommer developed

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

circuitry for the wired mouse, making it more responsive to human movement. Logitech incorporated a Sommer-style CMOS microprocessor in their first retail mouse product, the rectangular three-button serial C7 product released in 1985, selling for $99 (). The next wired mouse model, the S9 released in 1989, was curved to fit the human hand, and it carried the Logitech logo for the first time. In 1988, Logitech incorporated as Logitech International SA with an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

(IPO) on the Zürich stock exchange. In 1989, Logitech produced its first trackball product, the TrackMan. Also in 1989, the company was nominated for '' PC Mag'' Technical Excellence Award for the patented development tool Multiscope Debugger. The application was written for

OS/2 OS/2 is a Proprietary software, proprietary computer operating system for x86 and PowerPC based personal computers. It was created and initially developed jointly by IBM and Microsoft, under the leadership of IBM software designer Ed Iacobucci, ...

, followed by versions for the DOS and Windows 3.0 operating systems. Logitech won the award in January 1990. Logitech re-organized their manufacturing in 1994, shutting down Fremont operations and opening a major facility in Suzhou, China. The Cork, Ireland, location downsized to become an R&D center, and the Hsinchu, Taiwan, factory was kept only for test runs and prototypes. Logitech bought the

Connectix Connectix Corporation was a software and hardware company that released innovative products that were either made obsolete as Apple Computer incorporated the ideas into system software, or were sold to other companies once they became popular. It ...

division in 1998 for $25 million, then released

QuickCam QuickCam is a line of webcam video camera products originally produced by Connectix in 1994 and acquired by Logitech in 1998. Although its picture quality would today be considered primitive, it was the first widespread used webcam-like device. ...

, the first webcam with an integrated microphone. By the year 2000, Logitech was the leader in global sales of webcams, with about four million units sold. In 2001, Logitech acquired Labtec for $150 million in order to expand its range of computer peripherals. In 2007, Logitech licensed Hillcrest Labs' Freespace motion control technology to produce the MX Air Mouse, which allows a user to use natural gestures to control a PC.''Techspot'' 13 July 2007
Logitech's MX Air Mouse with freespace motion control
''Popular Mechanics'' 1 October 2009
Logitech's MX Air Cordless Laser Mouse: Best Pointer We've Tried (with Video).
In August 2010, Logitech acquired Ultimate Ears, supplier of custom in-ear monitors for professional musicians and

speakers for the consumer market. In December 2008, Logitech announced that it had produced its one-billionth computer mouse since beginning production in 1985. In December 2009, Logitech acquired video conferencing equipment maker Lifesize Communications. In July 2011, Logitech acquired the mobile visual communications provider Mirial. In January 2013, Bracken Darrell became Logitech's chief executive officer; then-CEO Guerrino De Luca continued as Logitech's chairman of the board. In January 2016, Logitech spun off the video conferencing equipment maker Lifesize. In April 2016, Logitech agreed to pay a $7.5 million penalty following allegations that the company and certain former executives improperly inflated its financial results for the 2011 fiscal year to meet earnings guidance, along with other accounting violations. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stated that these accounting irregularities misrepresented the Swiss company's financial position, depriving investors of an accurate assessment of its performance. On 12 April 2016, Logitech announced that they had agreed to acquire Jaybird, a leader in wireless audio wearables for sports and active lifestyles, for , with an additional earnout of up to based on achievement of growth targets. On 15 September 2016, Logitech announced that they had purchased the Saitek brand and assets from Mad Catz for . On 25 March 2017, Logitech signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with McLaren as the Official Technology Peripherals Partner. The deal would later be extended to McLaren's eSports endeavours under the Logitech G brand in 2020. On 11 August 2017, Logitech acquired Astro Gaming, makers of professional gaming equipment (mainly headsets), for . On 25 May 2018, Logitech acquired Beyond Entertainment, an esports live broadcasting and digital media company, for an undisclosed amount. On 30 July 2018, Logitech announced that they had purchased Blue Microphones for . On 26 September 2019, Logitech acquired Streamlabs, producer of software and tools for live-streaming, for approximately $89 million. On 29 July 2021, Logitech, in collaboration with choreographer JaQuel Knight, introduced its #Creators4BIPOC initiative under the Logitech For Creators brand. It allows social media creators, particularly BIPOC influencers, to copyright and monetize their online creations by making it possible for choreographers who amplify attention to hits by major artists in the entertainment business to secure

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

of their choreography using Labanotation and earn royalties from it. In June 2023, Bracken Darrell (former CEO) left Logitech and board member Guy Gecht took over as interim CEO. On 18 July 2023, Logitech announced the acquisition of streaming controller maker Loupedeck for an undisclosed sum. On 30 October 2023, Logitech announced that Hanneke Faber would be taking over as the new CEO beginning December 1, 2023. Faber was previously group President at

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

Production

The first Logitech mice, starting from the P4, were made in Le Lieu, in the Swiss

Canton of Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms bears the motto "Liberté et patrie" on a white-green bicolou ...

by Dubois Dépraz SA. Production facilities were then established in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

before being moved to

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, China. , the manufacturing operations in China produce approximately half of Logitech's products. The remaining production is outsourced to contract manufacturers and original design manufacturers in

Product lines

* Logitech – worldwide (except in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, where it is known as Logicool) for PC peripherals,

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

s, security cameras, mice, keyboards, webcams, computer speakers, and accessories for smartphones and tablet keyboards and covers * Logitech video collaboration, including all B2B video conferencing equipment * Logitech MX – flagship computer accessories (mice and keyboards) * Logitech C – computer

s (cameras) * Logitech G – gaming products * Ultimate Ears – in-ear monitors, wireless

speakers and universal-fit earphones * Jaybird – wireless bluetooth sport earbuds * Slim Devices – audio brand * Saitek – purchased on 15 September 2016, from Mad Catz * Logitech Harmony – programmable remote controls * Logitech F – wired and wireless gamepads * Logi

Gallery

File:SmakyMouseAG.jpeg, The Logitech Mouse, later renamed the P4, designed by Jean-Daniel Nicoud and André Guignard. First sold in 1982, this was Logitech's first computer mouse and one of the first commercially available mice sold. This particular model of Logitech Mouse was sold with the Smaky microcomputer. File:Logitech Logimouse Cable 1983.jpg, Logitech's second-generation mouse, the Logimouse (1983) File:Logitech C7 mouse-IMG 8428-white.jpg, A transparent version of the C7 mouse (1985), the first serial mouse to draw its supply voltage directly from the serial port File:Logitech FotoMan-P4191197-white.jpg, Logitech FotoMan, an early digital camera File:Logitech-maeuse-enter-museum-2021.jpg, Logitech mice in the Enter Museum (Switzerland) File:Logitech M171 Blue Mouse.jpg, A contemporary (2021) Logitech M171 mouse

References

External links

* * {{authority control, state=expanded 1980s initial public offerings Audio equipment manufacturers of Switzerland Companies based in Lausanne Companies based in Newark, California Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies in the Swiss Market Index Computer companies established in 1981 Computer hardware companies Computer peripheral companies Electronics companies established in 1981 Electronics companies of Switzerland Home automation companies Loudspeaker manufacturers Multinational companies headquartered in Switzerland Swiss brands Swiss companies established in 1981 Technology companies established in 1981 Technology companies of Switzerland