1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tex Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: and how the tech are you? It is time for 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: a classic episode, which means it's gotta be Friday Friday. 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: Gotta get down on Friday, whether you're sitting in the 7 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,520 Speaker 1: front seat or kicking in the back seat. This episode 8 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: originally published on January twenty, two, thousand sixteen. It is 9 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: called The Phillips Story Part one that you can't guess 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: what next week's classic episode is gonna be, Let's listen in. 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: This is from a listener suggestion Roger actually asked this. 12 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: Roger wrote, I'm an avid Tech Stuff podcast listener from 13 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: the UK, especially enjoying the company histories. I have two 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: companies that I think would be quite interesting to cover. 15 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,639 Speaker 1: The first is Royal Phillips. Phillips has been an innovator 16 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: since the eighteen hundreds, with everything from light bulbs through 17 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: to high tech medical scanning equipment, with a few consumer 18 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: items such as compact sets, video recorders, laser disc and 19 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: CD DVD technology thrown in for good measure. It would 20 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: be great to get the history, but I really wanted 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: to look at Phillips and talk about the history of 22 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: this company. It is interesting because I think a lot 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: of people when they think of electronics, they tend to 24 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: think of either American companies like General Electric or Westinghouse, 25 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: or they think about Japanese companies like Sony and others 26 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: are along those lines, but they tend to forget that 27 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: there were European companies that were instrumental in the development 28 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: of electronics, and in fact, Phillips is one of those companies. 29 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: So I thought I would tackle the company history of 30 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: Royal Phillips better known as just Phillips here in the USA. 31 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: Although we'll get into how Phillips is changing even as 32 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: I speak, Uh, that'll probably be in part two. So 33 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: Part one we're gonna focus on the founding of the 34 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: company and go through up to about the beginning of 35 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: World War Two, or at least the Netherlands involvement in 36 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: World War Two. Because the Phillips is a company that 37 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,119 Speaker 1: originates from the Netherlands, the company actually takes its name 38 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 1: from a family. The patriarch of that family was Benjamin 39 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: Frederick David Phillips, who went by Frederick I'm gonna call 40 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: him Freddie Baby. So Freddie Baby was born in the 41 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: Netherlands on December one, eighteen thirty. He was the fourth 42 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: son of a family that made its money in the 43 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: tobacco trade. His father, Lyon Phillips, was very successful tobacco merchant. 44 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: Um probably merchant is being too narrowly defined. Uh. He 45 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: was also a cousin to another notable person in history, 46 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: Carl Marx, who was the author of the Communist Manifesto, 47 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: and in fact, Marx would often call upon his relatives, 48 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: the Phillips whenever he was in need of money. So 49 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: while Marx was, you know, a communist and believed very 50 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: much in the distribution of wealth across the workers, he 51 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: was not above asking his wealthy merchant class uh distant 52 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: family for for cash when he needed it. Frederick Phillips 53 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: became a banker and he was incredibly successful. He built 54 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: up a really healthy fortune, and he married a woman 55 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: by the name of Mary Hayliger's. By the way, there 56 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: are a lot of Dutch names in this and the 57 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: next podcast that I will be butchering, largely because is 58 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: Dutch is similar to German, which I know a little 59 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: bit of. But different enough that my instincts on how 60 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: to pronounce things are often going to be wrong. So 61 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: my apologies to all of you Dutch speakers out there 62 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: and really everyone else too, as I butcher these names. 63 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: But I'm gonna do my best anyway. Frederick Phillips and 64 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: his wife had ten children, not all of them survived 65 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: to adulthood, and one of those children was a son 66 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: by the name of Gerard Leonardo Frederick Phillips, best known 67 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: just as Gerard Phillips. Now, when Frederick was in his sixties, 68 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: he became inspired by his son Gerard, who was interested 69 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: in making carbon filaments for light bulbs. This would be 70 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: around eighteen nine, and that was around when electricity was 71 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: kind of on the verge of replacing gas lamps for lighting. 72 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: But as we've talked about in tech stuff on previous occasions, 73 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: it was really tricky to build an electric light bulb 74 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: that could burn brightly enough and last long enough to 75 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: be a practical replacement for gas lamps. A lot of 76 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: those early filaments would burn out very rapidly, and in fact, 77 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: it was a lot of different innovators who were working 78 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 1: in this space to try and find a way to 79 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: make those filaments last long enough for an electric light 80 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: bulb to really be practical. In fact, I would argue 81 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 1: that Edison's major contribution was the development of a filament 82 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: that was longer lasting than most of the predecessors. Uh, 83 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: he didn't invent the light bulb, he just improved upon it. Well. 84 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: Gerard was interested in this as well, and was working 85 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 1: very hard on trying to come up with a carbon 86 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 1: filament that could be of practical use. And he went 87 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: to his father and said, maybe we could create a 88 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: company specifically for this purpose, and Frederick Phillips agreed to 89 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: back his son Gerard, and they formed the Phillips and Company. 90 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: They actually purchased a factory in the town of Eindhoven 91 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: to make lightbulbs. Now, at that time, Eindhoven was sort 92 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: of a modest industrial town. Today it's actually known as 93 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: a center of innovation and high tech scholarship, and that's 94 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: largely due to the influence of the Phillips company. But 95 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: it didn't take off immediately. In fact, at first the 96 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:38,039 Speaker 1: company really struggled. So Gerard was a mechanical engineer and 97 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: was really good at that. He was he was very innovative, 98 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: very clever. He graduated from delf University in eighteen eighty 99 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: three with a degree in mechanical engineering, and he had 100 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: also worked for a company called A E G which, 101 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: along with another company called Siemens and Hausk, was a 102 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: dominant player in the electric lighting into street in Europe. Now, 103 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: according to historical accounts, the lamps that Gerard was producing 104 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: from Phillips and Company were of excellent quality. They were 105 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: amazingly long lasting lamps compared to the competitors, and they're 106 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: very pretty, very beautiful design. The factory itself had twenty 107 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: eight people working there and they were earning good wages 108 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: comparatively speaking, so everything was going well on that end, 109 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: but the business itself was not doing so well. The 110 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: sales weren't reflecting the quality, and by nineteen by eighteen 111 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: ninety four, rather the business was already in trouble and 112 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: in fact teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. So it 113 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: was founded in eighteen by eighteen ninety four, it's already shaky. 114 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: And the main problem was that Gerard Phillips, while he 115 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: was an accomplished mechanical engineer, had very little business acumen. 116 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: He could produce amazing work, but he had trouble managing 117 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 1: the business side of things, and so in eighteen nine 118 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: his younger brother, Anton Phillips joined the company. Now, Anton 119 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: had a background in business and also was a much 120 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: more outgoing personality than his brother was. Gerard was kind 121 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: of a solitary worker. He preferred to do research in 122 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 1: the lab and have a quiet environment and avoid conversation, 123 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: which he often thought of as being unnecessary and a 124 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: distraction from work. Meanwhile, Anton was much more outgoing. He 125 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: enjoyed socializing and networking and was sort of a born salesman. 126 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: So together the two brothers were able to turn the 127 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: company around. Gerard was still the head of the company, 128 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: but Anton became kind of the director of sales and 129 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: uh soon orders were pouring in from all over Europe 130 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: and beyond. One of the first big cli aiance of 131 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:07,839 Speaker 1: the Phillips and Company UH business was the Star of Russia. 132 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: So the Russian Tsar actually purchased Phillips lamps to light 133 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: up the Winter Palace. To a pretty big deal, especially 134 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 1: when you consider that Karl Marx was a relative very 135 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: interesting experience, and there are in fact, entire books written 136 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: about Karl Marx and the Phillips family and how that 137 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: relationship was complicated and how the different philosophies were at play, 138 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: while the Phillips family was still sympathetic at least two 139 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 1: Marx's plight enough so that they were giving him money 140 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: when he needed it. Very interesting stuff, but kind of 141 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: beyond the scope of tech stuff. I'll leave that to 142 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: stuff you missed in history class. Maybe they can do 143 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: an episode about Karl Marx and his relationship with the 144 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: Phillips family. At any rate, Back to Phillips, UH. While 145 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: Anton was becoming something of a sales legend in Europe, 146 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: his brother Gerard headed up research and development back in Eindhoven. 147 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: So Gerard was constantly improving designs to build better lamps, 148 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: and then Anton would go and sell those designs to customers. 149 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: And because of Gerard's success, UH, and because of his 150 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 1: his reputation as a brilliant designer, Anton was actually able 151 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: to promise his clients that the company was always working 152 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 1: on improving designs and innovating in the space. And this 153 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: really became a great example of a buzzword known as synergy. 154 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: You probably heard synergy a lot of times. Synergy and 155 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: basically means it's the process of creating a whole that's 156 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: greater than the sum of its parts. And this is 157 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: really the case with the Phillips brothers. Individually, they were 158 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: both intelligent men who were quite capable in their own spheres, 159 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: but together they were able to accomplish a lot more 160 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: than they could have done on their own. In fact, 161 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 1: as I just mentioned, if Gerard had not received help 162 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: from his brother, it's quite possible that the Phillips Company 163 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: would have gone bankrupt before they were able to really 164 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: make an impact. Well. By nineteen o seven, the business 165 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: changed because carbon filaments went obsolete. There were there was 166 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: a better technology in place that would last longer, it 167 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: burned brighter and used the same amount of energy as 168 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: carbon filaments, and that would be tungsten wire filament. So 169 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 1: Phillips and Company switched to designing lamps that used tungsten wire. 170 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: It could actually produce three times the amount of light 171 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,080 Speaker 1: with the same amount of electricity as a carbon filament lamp, 172 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: so it made sense to make that change. We have 173 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:02,119 Speaker 1: more to say about the Philips story. After these messages 174 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: in the company was listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange 175 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 1: and became a limited company called all Right, I'm gonna 176 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: give it a shot, guys, but this is gonna be 177 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: it's it's gonna sound like a three year old trying 178 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: to sound out a word because it's it's very intimidating. 179 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: So the company became known as in V Phillips glow 180 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: is lump in fabric and gloile lump and fabrican is 181 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: how I will say that, And all you Dutch speakers 182 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: out there can scoff at me justifiably anyway. A limited company, 183 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 1: in case you're wondering, it's an organization made up of investors, 184 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: and each of those investors is protected from liability to 185 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,559 Speaker 1: the extent of their own investment in the business. So, 186 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: in other words, just just a simple example, if you 187 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: invested ten thousand dollars in a limited company, you couldn't 188 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: be held accountable for more than ten thousand dollars in 189 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: liability should something go catastrophically wrong. So really, a liability 190 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: company is meant to protect the people that invest in it. 191 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 1: Thus gives you an incentive to invest in the company 192 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: because you stand to gain from your investment and you're 193 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: protected from anything really unfortunate. So, for example, if it's 194 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: proven that the company uh mishandled funds in some criminal way, 195 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: you have a level of protection because of the nature 196 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:50,199 Speaker 1: of that organization, assuming you're not the actual person committing 197 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: the crime. In Phillips and Company established the NEAT Lab, 198 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 1: which was a research and development facility be dedicated to 199 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:06,559 Speaker 1: innovation and improving existing technology. Now in that lab in 200 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: a T. L a b. Is actually a nickname. The 201 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:16,839 Speaker 1: full name for the facility is again, all right, the 202 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: Phillips neture Kundig Laboratorium. I'm so sorry. Anyway, the center 203 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: was necessary because by this time the company was beginning 204 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: to explore other technologies, not just incandescent lamps. And the 205 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: company also wanted to develop its own patents so it 206 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: wouldn't be dependent upon third parties. So by that I mean, um, 207 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: all right, So let's say that that you want to 208 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: be able to use a particular process. Well, when a 209 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: person or organization receives a patent, when they filed for 210 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: a pen and they're granted that patent, their design is 211 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: made public. That's part of the agreement to have a 212 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: process or design patented. When you do that, that particular 213 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: design is publicly available. Anyone can go and pull up 214 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: the patent and see how it is you're doing the 215 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: thing you are doing. That's all part of the filing process. 216 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: But in return for publicly saying this is how we 217 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: do things, the patent holder gets exclusive rights to use 218 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: that particular design or approach in whatever way they want 219 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: for a given amount of time, and that given amount 220 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 1: of time has changed over the years. But it essentially 221 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,359 Speaker 1: says that for x amount of years, you get exclusive 222 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: rights to this design. You can do whatever you want 223 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: with it, and if anyone else uses that same design 224 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: without your permission, you can sue them for infringement. So 225 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: the design is publicly available, which gives the protection gives 226 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: protection to the person who holds the patent because then 227 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: they can say, well, clearly, you stole my idea because 228 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: my idea is publicly available for you to read. But 229 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: I am protected. I can use that idea exclusively, and 230 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: I did not give you permission. So even if a 231 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: company came up with its own approach that just happened 232 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: to be the same approach as what has already been 233 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: established in a patent, they would be liable because they'd 234 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: be using a system that was already documented in the 235 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:32,240 Speaker 1: patent system. So it's a very interesting way of protecting 236 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: your ideas. But one thing you can do if you 237 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,120 Speaker 1: own a patent is well, first, first of all, you 238 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: can sell it if you want, So if you are 239 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: the holder of a patent, you can actually sell your 240 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: patents to another entity. In fact, there are other companies 241 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: that that's all they do is just buy up patents. 242 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: But you can also license your patents to other parties. So, 243 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: in other words, you come up with a brilliant idea 244 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: on a way to design a particular style of light bulb, 245 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: and a company wants to make lightbulbs using your design, 246 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,000 Speaker 1: so they pay you a licensing fee, and in return, 247 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 1: you give them permission to use your patented idea. Everyone benefits. 248 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:16,640 Speaker 1: The company can sell products and make make profit. That way, 249 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: you profit from being able to license your idea to 250 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: someone else. And in fact, there's some companies that's all 251 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: they do is licensed patents. They don't make anything. They 252 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: hold the patents for making stuff, but they don't necessarily 253 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: have any manufacturing facilities. They just licensed it out to 254 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 1: other people. They're also companies called patent trolls, and patent 255 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: trolls are a little different. Instead of licensing a patent 256 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:46,440 Speaker 1: to other companies, they wait until a company makes a 257 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:50,200 Speaker 1: product or some other system that infringes upon a patent 258 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: and then they threaten to sue unless the company settles 259 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: for an enormous sum of money out of court. And uh, 260 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 1: that's what a patent troll is. That it's an entity 261 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: that has no interest in putting its patents to work 262 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: in any way other than as a means of leveraging 263 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 1: power over other companies that would want to use that process. 264 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: All right, at any rate, Gerard and Anton thought it 265 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: was really intelligent to develop a company specific research and 266 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:27,520 Speaker 1: development facility to help file patents so that the company 267 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: itself wouldn't have to rely on licensing these third party 268 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: entities in order to make stuff. The first director of 269 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: the nat Lab was a man named Hiel's Host Holst 270 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: was an engineer turned physicist, a doctor. Doctor Holst a 271 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 1: former teacher. He was a professional researcher. He did early 272 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: research into superconductivity. That's where you cool down a conductive substance, 273 00:18:57,359 --> 00:18:59,159 Speaker 1: you know, a metal, You cool it down to a 274 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: very very a low temperatures and that will eliminate electrical resistance, 275 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: meaning you have a perfect conductor. Uh. Holst also had 276 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: worked with Madame Curie in some of her experiments and 277 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: radio activity, so very important person and Holst was a 278 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: big thinker, and he was determined to give his researchers 279 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: a huge amount of freedom to explore fundamental scientific questions, 280 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 1: even if there were no immediately applicable outcomes to that 281 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: that that area of inquiry. So in other words, he said, 282 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter if the questions you are asking immediately 283 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,400 Speaker 1: result in some sort of product that Phillips can sell. 284 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: It's important for us to answer the questions, So go 285 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: out there and do that. And the result was that 286 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: then Lab became an important center of research, and Phillips 287 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:54,880 Speaker 1: and Company actually benefited as a result. It's a good 288 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: example of how fundamental research can result in benefits even 289 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: you didn't see the possibility when you started out. Some 290 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: of that research helped in the development of infrared and 291 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: X ray technology, which no one really could have been 292 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: predicted at the time. Holst was also uh important because 293 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: he invited individuals in the scientific field to come to 294 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: nat Lab and to give lectures. For example, a physicist 295 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,919 Speaker 1: of certain renown named Albert Einstein gave a talk at 296 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,639 Speaker 1: nat Lab in nineteen twenty three, So it really was 297 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,959 Speaker 1: a center of learning and research and UH and kind 298 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 1: of a point of pride in the Netherlands as well. 299 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 1: All right, well, let's go back to nineteen fifteen UH 300 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: and the history of the company. So now we're getting 301 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: into the time of World War one, UM, which of 302 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: course back then was just the Great War. So the 303 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 1: Netherlands maintained a neutral status during World War One, and 304 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:01,880 Speaker 1: as a result, operations at Phillips remained largely disturbed. In addition, 305 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,600 Speaker 1: the war was creating coal shortages, and that meant that 306 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: it was harder for people for companies to produce coal gas, 307 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: which meant it was harder to fuel gas lamps, and 308 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: it forced a lot more people to convert to using electricity. So, 309 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: in other words, World War One actually generated business for 310 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: the Phillips Company. So to support the production of new lamps, 311 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: Phillips invested in a couple of different properties to to 312 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: really ramp up production. One of them was an argone 313 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: production facility. They had a argon lamp that was efficient 314 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: and inexpensive, so it was very popular. They also purchased 315 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: a glass manufacturing plant in order to ramp up production 316 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: on their lamps. We'll be right back with more about 317 00:21:48,480 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: the history of the Phillips company. After this break, in 318 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: nineteen nineteen, Phillips introduced a medical X ray tube, which 319 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: officially diversified the company from just the incandescent lamp business. 320 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: Then lab was busy researching technologies and filing patents for 321 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,680 Speaker 1: everything from gas diffusion to radio wave reception, and the 322 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: company also began to expand to other countries. They opened 323 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: up sales forces in the United States and in France, 324 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: and a little bit later in Australia, Brazil and China, 325 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,399 Speaker 1: so they were not taking things slowly in the early 326 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: part of the twentieth century. Now, the X ray business 327 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 1: was still really new in nineteen nineteen. Phillips started in 328 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: the business by repairing X ray tubes during World War 329 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 1: One and then moved to manufacturing tubes on a small 330 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 1: scale in the Phillips research laboratory. But early X ray 331 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: tubes had some pretty distinct disadvantages. One was that they 332 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: emitted radiation in all directions, not just jumber one you 333 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: happen to be interested in, which is not just inefficient, 334 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: it's also dangerous. Because X ray radiation is ionizing radiation. 335 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 1: It can potentially cause cancer if you're exposed to it, 336 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:17,439 Speaker 1: So having it emit in all directions was not safe. 337 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: They also relied on high voltage cables, which were exposed 338 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,919 Speaker 1: and thus potentially dangerous. You can electrocute yourself. Even if 339 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: you were safe from the radiation, you could just die 340 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 1: from the electricity. But a man known as A Bowers 341 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: of the Phillips Research Laborator Laboratory came up with a solution. 342 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: Bowers designed a cylindrical X ray tube. The earlier X 343 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: ray tubes were actually spherical, so kind of like a 344 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: lightbulb is. But the ones that Bowers made were cylindrical 345 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,080 Speaker 1: and had a grounded metal canister with a glass window 346 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: on one side of the canister. So imagine that you've 347 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 1: got a cylindrical UH glass tube. You slide that into 348 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: a metal canister. The metal canstor has one side cutout, 349 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: so it's like a window, and then you coat the 350 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: metal canister with lead and that way, when you turn 351 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: on the X ray tube, X rays can only come 352 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: out the window side. They can't go through the lead 353 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,399 Speaker 1: lined case. So you thus made it more efficient and 354 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: safer because you could you could direct the path of 355 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 1: the X rays. UH. It took a few tweaks to 356 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: get the design just right. But it was a success, 357 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,359 Speaker 1: and Phillips began to market it. They called it metall 358 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: Licks or Metallics M E T A l I X. Now, 359 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:48,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take a quick break from talking about X 360 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 1: rays for a second. I'm gonna come back to that 361 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:51,920 Speaker 1: in a minute, but I want to mention a few 362 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 1: things that also happened around this same time frame. First, 363 00:24:56,440 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty, a company called Yeah It's happening again, 364 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 1: all right, A company called n V Gameen shopill Lich 365 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:16,920 Speaker 1: binzit vonder Lean Phillips, Gloriamp and fabriacn formed and assumed 366 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 1: ownership of Phillips. Boy, I sound like I've had a stroke, 367 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 1: but the short ename for it was n Z bin Zi. 368 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: Two years later, Gerard Phillips retires as CEO, so two 369 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,680 Speaker 1: he steps down and Anton Phillips, his younger brother, assumes 370 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: the position of chairman at age Now a nineteen seven 371 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: Phillips bought a company called C. H. F. Mueller of Hamburg. 372 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: So this is a German company, which is why I 373 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: know how to pronounce it. C h. F. Mueller was 374 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,400 Speaker 1: founded by Carl Heinrich Florence Mueller in the nineteenth century 375 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:01,080 Speaker 1: and originally was a glass company. Mule Or himself was 376 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: known for being a very artistic h glassblower, and the 377 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 1: early products from Mueller were these decorative pieces like goblets 378 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 1: and wine glasses. But over time Mueller began to refine 379 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,920 Speaker 1: his process to build glass for gas diffusion and incandescent bulbs. 380 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: And Mueller also had a reputation and a history that 381 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: was tightly tied to X rays. So to explain that, 382 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: we actually have to look back at the discovery of 383 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:39,160 Speaker 1: X rays. So let's let's look at so in while 384 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 1: Gerard was being rescued by his brother Anton, there was 385 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: a physicist named Wilhelm Conrad laurunjin Um. He was experimenting 386 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: with cathode rays and produced X rays. He was not 387 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 1: the only scientist who had been experimenting with this. Nicola 388 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:02,920 Speaker 1: Tesla is another notable old person who who noticed the 389 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: the existence of X rays, although he didn't fully appreciate 390 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: the the applications of it. But on November ront Gen 391 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: discovered a screen coated with bury um platino cyanide with 392 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:24,440 Speaker 1: fluoresce when a nearby gas discharged tube activated, even when 393 00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: there was a black cardboard barrier separating the two and 394 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:31,760 Speaker 1: he was wondering, what, how is that happening, What's why 395 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: is it fluorescing, What's causing that? So he began to 396 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: explore this curious phenomenon and as a result, he identified 397 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: X rays. He noted in one experiment that if you 398 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 1: put your hand between the discharging tube and a screen, 399 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: you could see an image of your hand on the 400 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 1: screen with your bones a darker image than your flesh. 401 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,240 Speaker 1: That wasn't exactly a high resolution X ray at that time, 402 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,120 Speaker 1: but it showed the potential for it, and not long 403 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,880 Speaker 1: after he published his findings, researchers at the National Physics 404 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:08,360 Speaker 1: Laboratory reproduced the effect using a cathode ray tube from C. H. F. Mueller. 405 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: The results were interesting but pretty fuzzy, and so the 406 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: researchers got in direct contact with Mueller explained what it 407 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: was they were trying to do, and so Mueller and 408 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: the researchers together began to try and develop a better 409 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:27,919 Speaker 1: cathode ray, specifically for X ray production. So they refined 410 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: their approach. Now, by the time Phillips acquired the company 411 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 1: of C. H. F. Mueller, they had that company had 412 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: already become a leading provider of X ray technology, So 413 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: now Phillips had become the name and x ray tech. 414 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:47,720 Speaker 1: Also in nineteen seven, Phillips was starting to get into 415 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: the radio business. Now, I've done several episodes about the 416 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: history of radio, including a discussion about who invented radio 417 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: in the first place. In fact, that was an episode 418 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: Chris Palette and I recorded, and famously, after the first attempt, 419 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,680 Speaker 1: we both agreed that the episode we had just recorded 420 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: was awful, and we immediately trashed it and went back 421 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: and recorded it a second time. So if you go 422 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: back into the archives of Tech stuff and you listen 423 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: to the episode who Invented the Radio, it's actually our 424 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,719 Speaker 1: second try at that topic. The first one is lost 425 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: forever because I think we deleted it. I don't think 426 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: it even exists in our archives. But as it turns out, 427 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,239 Speaker 1: it's a tough question to answer. It's a lot more 428 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: complicated than just saying Nicola Tesla invented radio or Marconi 429 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: invented radio. But no matter how complex the origins of 430 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: the radio, it was incredibly popular. It's pretty easy to 431 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: understand why people flocked to the radio because it was 432 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: a new form of receiving communication from the world at large. 433 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: You could get news immediately from Miles and Miles aw 434 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: a and it was a revolution in communication, and so 435 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: Phillips became a leading manufacturer of radios in the Netherlands. 436 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: In ninety two, just five years after getting into the industry, 437 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: Phillips had already sold its one million radio set and 438 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 1: also became the leading manufacturer of radios and radio tubes, 439 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: not just in Europe but in the whole world. However, 440 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 1: the following decade, the nineteen thirties, that just they weren't 441 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: all that prosperous. Uh. There was a depression in europe 442 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 1: An economic depression, and Phillips was affected just like other 443 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 1: companies were, and so the company had to restructure and 444 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: had to lay off a lot of employees and scaled 445 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: down and focus. But one thing they did not do 446 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: is skimp on research and development. The company actually committed 447 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,280 Speaker 1: even more resources towards R and D in the hopes 448 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: of becoming more nimble to a changing market. The idea 449 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: being that things were going to evolve very quickly and 450 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: only through scientific inquiry would the company be able to 451 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: stay ahead of the game. And around that same time, 452 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 1: engineers in then lab had been experimenting with a new 453 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: technology called television that was largely an internal project within 454 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: the company until about ninety eight, which is when Phillips 455 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: presented a showcase of their black and white television set 456 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: at the annual Fair in Utrecht. Phillips would remain a 457 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: television manufacturer until two thousand eleven, when the company decided 458 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 1: that the market was too competitive, and at that point 459 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: Phillips shut down its TV manufacturing centers and entered a 460 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: partnership with another company called TPV Technology out of Hong Kong. 461 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: That agreement formed a new organization that would develop and 462 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 1: market television's using the Phillips brand, but it was only 463 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,640 Speaker 1: thirty owned by Phillips. Tv P p V would own 464 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: the remaining sevent of that organization, So the Phillips television 465 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,920 Speaker 1: sets you see today are Phillips in name only. Really, 466 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: it's a brand that exists, but it's not manufactured in 467 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: a Phillips factory. In nine Phillips stuck its toe in 468 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: another area of consumer electronics, the electric shaver. Their product 469 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: was called the Philip Shave, which is hilarious to me. 470 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: The original model had a chord, so you had to 471 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,239 Speaker 1: plug it into the wall in order to operate it. Uh. 472 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 1: It was a cylindrical device with a circular little metal 473 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,040 Speaker 1: surface that's what contained the rotating blades that you would 474 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: use to cut the hairs on your face. And it's 475 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: sort of like an electric cucumber. In the United States, 476 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: the brand name for Philip's shaving devices was nore Elco. 477 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: So if you've heard of NoREL COO, that's a Philip's brand, 478 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: and the rest of the world it was just called 479 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: the Philips Shave until about two thousand six. That's when 480 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: Phillips began to phase out the Philips shave brand name 481 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: and start to market them just under Phillips. Meanwhile, here 482 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: in the US, they included Phillips with Narrelko uh, probably 483 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: in anticipation of dropping the nar Elco name entirely, and 484 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: so you would just get Phillips brand, uh, you know, 485 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: shavers all across the world and not have this this 486 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,480 Speaker 1: different brand name in different countries. Nonsense going on, and 487 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 1: as time went on, they would add other products to 488 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 1: this line, things like beard trimmers and hair trimmers, that 489 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:38,600 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, and so they created sort of a 490 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 1: consumer products division within Phillips beyond just lightbulbs and radio 491 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:48,680 Speaker 1: and television sets. No. Nine was also the year that 492 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: Anton Phillips resigned as president, though he would remain an 493 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: advisor to the company for several more years. His son 494 00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:01,680 Speaker 1: in law, Franz Aughton became president and his actual son, 495 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:06,400 Speaker 1: Fritz Phillips became a director of the company, so UH 496 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:12,920 Speaker 1: Anton's son Fritz would report to Anton's son in law Franz. 497 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 1: Fritz and Franz was a very tumultuous year for the company. 498 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,080 Speaker 1: The Netherlands didn't have the luxury of remaining neutral in 499 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: World War Two the way they did in World War One, 500 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: and in fact, it became clear that Germany was preparing 501 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:35,760 Speaker 1: to invade the Netherlands. So an anticipation of that upcoming invasion, 502 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:41,240 Speaker 1: Franz Autin and Anton Phillips formed the North American Phillips 503 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:45,600 Speaker 1: Corporation or in a PC in the United States, and 504 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:49,120 Speaker 1: then they began to relocate operations to America in order 505 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 1: to avoid the conflict. UH. On paper, the business was 506 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 1: still listed as being a Netherlands company a Netherlands based 507 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:04,560 Speaker 1: company lee for tax purposes, but effectively management was shifting 508 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,759 Speaker 1: to the United States, and when Germany invaded the Netherlands, 509 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: it took about five days of fighting before the Dutch 510 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: government surrendered. They were pretty much forced to. They just 511 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: were not equipped to resist the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. 512 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 1: And so at that point Phillips management, the ones who 513 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: had not already moved to the United States fled first 514 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: to England, and then from England they went to the 515 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: US to join the n a PC. Now this is 516 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:37,040 Speaker 1: where we're going to bring Part one to an end, 517 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:39,759 Speaker 1: and in part two we're going to talk about what 518 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 1: happened to Anton Phillips's son, Fritz Phillips during World War Two. 519 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: Because Fritz, unlike his father and his uh you know, 520 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: his brother in law, he stayed in the Netherlands. He 521 00:35:54,120 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 1: did not move to the United States. I hope you 522 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,400 Speaker 1: enjoyed that classic episode. Next week we will clued this 523 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:06,399 Speaker 1: classic series two part series of I guess you can't 524 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,000 Speaker 1: call it this series if it's just two right, this 525 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 1: two part next week and if you have suggestions for 526 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 1: things I should cover in future, you know, more current 527 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 1: episodes of tech Stuff. You can download the I Heart 528 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: radio apps raided download and use Navigator to Tech Stuff 529 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:22,719 Speaker 1: using the search field, and you can hit that little 530 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: microphone icon leave me a voice message up to thirty 531 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:27,920 Speaker 1: seconds in length, or you can send me a message 532 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,239 Speaker 1: on Twitter. The handle we use on the show is 533 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,320 Speaker 1: tech Stuff h SW and I'll talk to you again 534 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 1: really soon. Y tex Stuff is an I Heart Radio production. 535 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the I 536 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:49,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 537 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:50,320 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.