Xerox Wikipédia (DIRECT)

Haloid spent years refining Carlson’s invention. The key challenge was finding a better light-sensitive material; the solution was , which could hold an electrostatic charge and dissipate it when exposed to light. To brand this new process, Haloid coined the term "xerography" – from the Greek words xeros (dry) and graphein (writing). In 1949, they launched the first crude xerographic copier, Model A , but it was manual and messy.

However, this pivot left the original hardware business weakened. The rise of the "paperless office" – ironically enabled by the scanning and digital workflow technologies Xerox had helped create – steadily eroded the demand for printing and copying. xerox wikipédia

Xerox was blindsided. Its costs were high, its product line was outdated, and its quality had declined. By the early 1980s, Xerox’s market share in copiers had collapsed from nearly 100% to around 40%. The company faced a near-death experience. Haloid spent years refining Carlson’s invention

I. The Birth of an Icon (1906–1959) The story of Xerox begins not with copying, but with photographic paper. In 1906, The Haloid Photographic Company was founded in Rochester, New York, manufacturing photographic paper and equipment. For decades, it was a small, regional player in the shadow of Eastman Kodak. In 1949, they launched the first crude xerographic

However, in a moment of visionary genius (or institutional irony), Xerox created one of history’s most influential research centers. In 1970, they established the in California. PARC’s mission was to explore the "architecture of information."

Then came the crisis. By late 2000, Xerox was hemorrhaging money. Its business model of leasing copiers (long-term revenue) required huge upfront capital. When sales slowed, it ran out of cash. Debt was downgraded to "junk" status. The stock price plummeted from $60 to under $4. There were serious doubts Xerox would survive.