January 2000: Danger is formed by three Apple veterans
Formed by Andy Rubin (CEO), Matt Hershenson (SVP) and Joe Britt (CTO), Danger is reportedly named after the robot in “Lost in Space” — the one that delivers the line, “Danger, Will Robinson.” All three had worked at Apple early in their careers. Rubin and Britt had been with WebTV prior to its acquisition by Microsoft.
On its site at the time, Danger promises “an end-to-end wireless Internet solution focused on affordability and great user experience” that “tightly integrates service, platform and hardware and will be introduced to the mass market through partnerships with established consumer brands.”
Danger secures an initial funding round of $11 million in September 2000.
This video is from Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Corner, which has much more from the 2004 talk.
Next: Danger’s mysterious plans start to draw attention
- The Beginning: Danger is formed by three Apple veterans
- Spring 2001: Danger’s mysterious plans start to draw attention
- September 2001: Danger unveils the Hiptop
- December 2001: Woz is on board
- October 2002: Hiptop debuts on T-Mobile as the Sidekick
- Fall 2004: Celebrities embrace a new Sidekick
- February 2005: Paris Hilton is hacked
- Fall 2005: Google acquires Android, sets stage for mobile push
- February 2008: Microsoft acquires Danger
- October 2008: Danger server meltdown melts the Sidekick
- April 2010: Microsoft launches the Kin, briefly
- February 2011: End of the Sidekick’s Danger era
- March 2011: Sidekick goes Android