Topic: Altair

The early days of Microsoft and Apple are described as being fueled by "non-working prototypes" and military contracts. Dalley points out that both companies were fostered by older men with intelligence backgrounds, such as Ed Roberts of Altair. She argues that the narrative of "humble beginnings in a garage" is a myth designed to hide the fact that these companies were government-funded "public-public partnerships."

The host identifies Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims III as the actual geniuses behind the first personal computer, the Altair 8800. She explains their background in the Air Force Weapons Laboratory and the founding of MITS in Albuquerque. She suggests that Bill Gates and Paul Allen were "put on as the face" of technology that was actually developed within the intelligence community.