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Il caso Olivetti
Quella dell'Olivetti è la storia di un'eccellenza italiana. Nata a inizio Novecento dal genio irrequieto e anticonformista di Camillo, l'azienda è cresciuta all'insegna dell'innovazione, della cura al design e dell'attenzione alle esigenze dei dipendenti. L'impegno umano e professionale del fondatore e di suo figlio Adriano, decisi a coniugare progresso tecnologico e ideale socialista, non si è arrestato nemmeno nel Ventennio fascista; anzi, negli anni seguenti l'azienda ha sviluppato prodotti così belli e funzionali - la Lexikon 80, la Divisumma 24, la Lettera 22 - da essere inseriti nella collezione del MoMA di New York ed entrare nell'immaginario comune quali perfette incarnazioni del made in Italy. Portata ai vertici del settore proprio da Adriano, anche grazie al contributo di suo figlio Roberto e di ingegneri talentuosi come Mario Tchou, la Olivetti è arrivata a far concorrenza ai colossi americani dell'elettronica sviluppando il primo modello di desktop computer: il Programma 101, adottato persino dalla NASA.
Poi, il declino.
La morte di Adriano nel 1960, quella di Tchou nel 1961 e la chiusura dell'avanguardistico laboratorio di elettronica hanno sempre alimentato sospetti. Ma che cosa accadde davvero il 27 febbraio 1960 sul treno diretto in Svizzera, e l'anno successivo sul cavalcavia della Milano-Torino che conduceva al casello di Santhià? Attraverso interviste a storici, familiari, ex dirigenti e dipendenti, affiancate da un'attenta analisi dei documenti disponibili, Meryle Secrest ci racconta la fine di un'era e aggiunge un tassello fondamentale alla nostra comprensione dei fatti: il ruolo giocato dagli Stati Uniti e in particolare dalla CIA, anche dietro pressione dell'IBM.
In un'avvincente ricostruzione di successi e tragedie, intrighi internazionali e beghe interne, l'autrice ci mette di fronte a una realtà innegabile: nel pieno della Guerra Fredda il progressista Olivetti era considerato una minaccia, e l'ascesa della sua azienda andava fermata con ogni mezzo.
Poi, il declino.
La morte di Adriano nel 1960, quella di Tchou nel 1961 e la chiusura dell'avanguardistico laboratorio di elettronica hanno sempre alimentato sospetti. Ma che cosa accadde davvero il 27 febbraio 1960 sul treno diretto in Svizzera, e l'anno successivo sul cavalcavia della Milano-Torino che conduceva al casello di Santhià? Attraverso interviste a storici, familiari, ex dirigenti e dipendenti, affiancate da un'attenta analisi dei documenti disponibili, Meryle Secrest ci racconta la fine di un'era e aggiunge un tassello fondamentale alla nostra comprensione dei fatti: il ruolo giocato dagli Stati Uniti e in particolare dalla CIA, anche dietro pressione dell'IBM.
In un'avvincente ricostruzione di successi e tragedie, intrighi internazionali e beghe interne, l'autrice ci mette di fronte a una realtà innegabile: nel pieno della Guerra Fredda il progressista Olivetti era considerato una minaccia, e l'ascesa della sua azienda andava fermata con ogni mezzo.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2019
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1570 people want to read
About the author
Meryle Secrest
28 books33 followersMeryle Secrest was born and educated in Bath, England, and lives in Washington, DC. She is the author of twelve biographies and was awarded the 2006 Presidential National Humanities Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 1, 2022
A circa un terzo posso già dire la mia. Per finirlo lo finirò, perchè la lettura è addirittura banale però:
Il titolo promette molto su un argomento assai intrigante, la copertina graficamente azzeccata.
Poi si legge il libro di questa autrice quasi novantenne all'epoca della pubblicazione del libro (2019) e si scopre che era una di quelle giornaliste frequentatrici di salotti di famiglie in vista (tra cui gli Olivetti, per l'appunto), specializzata in biografie di personaggi illustri(tra cui Leonard Bernstein, Modigliani, Lloyd Wright). La trattazione dell'argomento è pertanto tutta improntata al salottiero, aneddotico, superficiale e talora anche pettegolo.
L'edizione e la traduzione (Rizzoli !, mica l'e.book autopubblicato...) sono oscene: la prima parte è praticamente un copia/incolla di Lessico familiare, nel quale l'autrice - o il traduttore - riescono a prendere una solenne cantonata scrivendo più volte che i Ginzburg erano molto intimi degli Olivetti, non accorgendosi che Natalia si chiama così per via del matrimonio con Leone Ginzburg e che la sua famiglia, intima degli Olivetti, erano i Levi.
A pagina 80 c'è questa perla: descrivendo (sempre superficialmente) i cambiamenti indotti dal regime fascista, si legge che il fascismo aveva abolito le unioni, trasformandole in sindacati
Il traduttore/editore dimostrano in un sol colpo di non avere nozioni elementari di inglese né conoscenze altrettanto elementari della storia italiana.
Si voleva forse dire che il fascismo aveva abolito i sindacati (in inglese unions), sostituendoli con le corporazioni (in inglese syndacate).
Insomma una vera ciofeca, non cascateci anche voi...
A lettura terminata la stella solitaria sta a sottolineare il rimpianto di vedere un argomento tanto stimolante affidato a questa nonagenaria più adatta a tenere la rubrica della posta del cuore anziché ad uno storico qualificato. Oltre alla superstar che verrà in mente a tutti, penso a Mimmo Franzinelli.
Qualcosa di interessante si viene a sapere, ma niente che non si trovi anche nelle pagine wikipedia dedicate all'azienda ed ai suoi esponenti, pagine wikipedia che poi somigliano in maniera sospetta ai capitoli del libro che non trattano di abbigliamento o di arredamento...
Le ultime sessanta pagine finalmente si addentrano in ciò che il titolo promette, ma oltre a sembrare scritte da un'altra persona, sono alquanto sbrigative nel liquidare in poche pagine la
vicenda dell'uscita di scena della Olivetti dal settore dell'informatica dove aveva al tempo un vantaggio competitivo rilevante sui colossi che poi avrebbero dominato.
Il titolo promette molto su un argomento assai intrigante, la copertina graficamente azzeccata.
Poi si legge il libro di questa autrice quasi novantenne all'epoca della pubblicazione del libro (2019) e si scopre che era una di quelle giornaliste frequentatrici di salotti di famiglie in vista (tra cui gli Olivetti, per l'appunto), specializzata in biografie di personaggi illustri(tra cui Leonard Bernstein, Modigliani, Lloyd Wright). La trattazione dell'argomento è pertanto tutta improntata al salottiero, aneddotico, superficiale e talora anche pettegolo.
L'edizione e la traduzione (Rizzoli !, mica l'e.book autopubblicato...) sono oscene: la prima parte è praticamente un copia/incolla di Lessico familiare, nel quale l'autrice - o il traduttore - riescono a prendere una solenne cantonata scrivendo più volte che i Ginzburg erano molto intimi degli Olivetti, non accorgendosi che Natalia si chiama così per via del matrimonio con Leone Ginzburg e che la sua famiglia, intima degli Olivetti, erano i Levi.
A pagina 80 c'è questa perla: descrivendo (sempre superficialmente) i cambiamenti indotti dal regime fascista, si legge che il fascismo aveva abolito le unioni, trasformandole in sindacati
Il traduttore/editore dimostrano in un sol colpo di non avere nozioni elementari di inglese né conoscenze altrettanto elementari della storia italiana.
Si voleva forse dire che il fascismo aveva abolito i sindacati (in inglese unions), sostituendoli con le corporazioni (in inglese syndacate).
Insomma una vera ciofeca, non cascateci anche voi...
A lettura terminata la stella solitaria sta a sottolineare il rimpianto di vedere un argomento tanto stimolante affidato a questa nonagenaria più adatta a tenere la rubrica della posta del cuore anziché ad uno storico qualificato. Oltre alla superstar che verrà in mente a tutti, penso a Mimmo Franzinelli.
Qualcosa di interessante si viene a sapere, ma niente che non si trovi anche nelle pagine wikipedia dedicate all'azienda ed ai suoi esponenti, pagine wikipedia che poi somigliano in maniera sospetta ai capitoli del libro che non trattano di abbigliamento o di arredamento...
Le ultime sessanta pagine finalmente si addentrano in ciò che il titolo promette, ma oltre a sembrare scritte da un'altra persona, sono alquanto sbrigative nel liquidare in poche pagine la
vicenda dell'uscita di scena della Olivetti dal settore dell'informatica dove aveva al tempo un vantaggio competitivo rilevante sui colossi che poi avrebbero dominato.
February 10, 2026
Did you know that in the 1960’s Olivetti was number 103 on Fortune Magazine’s list of the 200 largest industrial companies? That it spanned and the globe with 54,000 employees? That it had developed a microcomputer in 1964-65 (10 years before Steve Jobs) and showed it at the 1964 NY World’s Fair and that NASA bought one of the 44,000 units that sold for $55,000/machine and used it for the moon landing? Neither did I.
This book attempts to interpret this company and its demise. Unfortunately content sprawls. It is part biography (individual, family and corporate) and 20th century Italian history with pages on architecture and American individuals, companies and the CIA. Given that the book is only 265 pages, none of this is covered in depth.
The company was ahead of its time, not only it its products and their packaging but its views on management and employee well being.
Pages 228 and 229 list ten often cited reasons for the demise of Olivetti. At this point the reader knows a bit about each, but not enough to evaluate most points. For instance, the Underwood acquisition is listed as a reason, but there was no analysis of the why Olivetti could not use Underwood’s distribution network as planned. Was the company really on the verge of bankruptcy? One clear issue is that the untimely deaths of its CEO and chief engineer (deaths that look more and more suspicious as time goes on) were major losses.
Olivetti had breakthrough technology and a foothold in the US through its Underwood purchase. Did the company’s potential business with Russia and China, raise concerns with the CIA? Did Allen Dulles (often alluded to in the book) have a role in the deaths of Adriano Olivetti and Mario Tchou? Was the company betrayed from the inside by those who profited from selling off its premier technology? (Currently Telecom Italia has launched Olivetti branded products.)
Meryle Sechrest has provided a lot of information but it needs fleshing out. I expect that this story is too big for a single book. I look forward to fully researched separate biographies (in English) of Adriano Olivetti, the Olivetti Family and the company.
This book attempts to interpret this company and its demise. Unfortunately content sprawls. It is part biography (individual, family and corporate) and 20th century Italian history with pages on architecture and American individuals, companies and the CIA. Given that the book is only 265 pages, none of this is covered in depth.
The company was ahead of its time, not only it its products and their packaging but its views on management and employee well being.
Pages 228 and 229 list ten often cited reasons for the demise of Olivetti. At this point the reader knows a bit about each, but not enough to evaluate most points. For instance, the Underwood acquisition is listed as a reason, but there was no analysis of the why Olivetti could not use Underwood’s distribution network as planned. Was the company really on the verge of bankruptcy? One clear issue is that the untimely deaths of its CEO and chief engineer (deaths that look more and more suspicious as time goes on) were major losses.
Olivetti had breakthrough technology and a foothold in the US through its Underwood purchase. Did the company’s potential business with Russia and China, raise concerns with the CIA? Did Allen Dulles (often alluded to in the book) have a role in the deaths of Adriano Olivetti and Mario Tchou? Was the company betrayed from the inside by those who profited from selling off its premier technology? (Currently Telecom Italia has launched Olivetti branded products.)
Meryle Sechrest has provided a lot of information but it needs fleshing out. I expect that this story is too big for a single book. I look forward to fully researched separate biographies (in English) of Adriano Olivetti, the Olivetti Family and the company.
November 10, 2019
An interesting read of the trials and successes of the Olivetti dynasty in Italy. While Secrest succeeds as a historian and author, however, she fails as a detective. The conjectures concerning the deaths of key members of the Olivetti team are lacking in any new facts that would elevate them beyond the class of pure speculation. Perhaps one day, the true stories will be uncovered and presented in a new book. Hope so!
April 25, 2022
Molto interessante, rimango scettico sulla teoria del complotto della CIA, ad affossare l'Olivetti furono più probabilmente la miopia del mondo politico ed economico italiano dell'epoca.
May 6, 2022
Libro comprato per un personale interesse di storia industriale, economica e della tecnologia, e per il ruolo particolare che ha avuto Olivetti per la cultura italiana. Dalla copertina e dalla descrizione della casa editrice, mi aspettavo che queste cose facessero gran parte del succo di questo libro. Invece ho perso rapidamente l’entusiasmo perché questi aspetti, quando apparivano nel discorso, venivano trattati come accessorio per delle vicende personali che, pur essendo magari importanti per capire fino in fondo le scelte dei protagonisti, sono senz’altro lungi dallo spiegare questa storia fino in fondo.
Posso capire perché l’autrice abbia cercato un tutt’altro angolo di attacco di quello che mi aspettavo io, ma faccio valere uno dei “diritti del lettore” di Pennac, e stacco la spina.
Posso capire perché l’autrice abbia cercato un tutt’altro angolo di attacco di quello che mi aspettavo io, ma faccio valere uno dei “diritti del lettore” di Pennac, e stacco la spina.
November 26, 2019
I had a special interest in this, since I lived and worked in Ivrea in 1989, at an Olivetti joint venture company. Had I not, I doubt I would have finished this.
Despite the title, the majority of this book is simply a history of Olivetti, and on that score, I found it interesting. Three chapters before the end, the story turns to the P101 (which the author terms "the world's first desktop computer", which is a pretty weak contention...maybe the world's first programmable calculator, but anyway), and Olivetti falling upon hard times. Then the last chapter comes along, which is pretty much all conspiracy theory, in which, based on very little (if any) actual hard or non-circumstantial evidence, the author weaves a theory about how a deep dark conspiracy of US and Italian government and economic forces conspired to put a boot on Olivetti's throat and keep it barely limping along for another few decades.
Suffice it to say that I didn't buy any of the conspiracy theory. One would have to completely discard Occam's Razor (as well as the saying "never ascribe to malice that which may be adequately explained by stupidity") to buy the final chapter. Italian economics/bureaucracy, mediocre management of a family company, and internal factions fighting for turf were more than sufficient to doom the P101.
Despite the title, the majority of this book is simply a history of Olivetti, and on that score, I found it interesting. Three chapters before the end, the story turns to the P101 (which the author terms "the world's first desktop computer", which is a pretty weak contention...maybe the world's first programmable calculator, but anyway), and Olivetti falling upon hard times. Then the last chapter comes along, which is pretty much all conspiracy theory, in which, based on very little (if any) actual hard or non-circumstantial evidence, the author weaves a theory about how a deep dark conspiracy of US and Italian government and economic forces conspired to put a boot on Olivetti's throat and keep it barely limping along for another few decades.
Suffice it to say that I didn't buy any of the conspiracy theory. One would have to completely discard Occam's Razor (as well as the saying "never ascribe to malice that which may be adequately explained by stupidity") to buy the final chapter. Italian economics/bureaucracy, mediocre management of a family company, and internal factions fighting for turf were more than sufficient to doom the P101.
July 1, 2021
Il titolo non rispecchia in maniera fedele il contenuto del libro. Sui dubbi che ruotano intorno il declino della Olivetti e della morte dei suoi principali protagonisti sono dedicate soltanto le ultime pagine. In ogni caso è un interessante saggio sulla storia della famiglia e dell'azienda legate alle vicende politiche dell'epoca.
September 2, 2025
Per caso o per azzardo
March 29, 2021
Un libro molto interessante anche per chi, come me, conosceva solo marginalmente la storia di Olivetti. Ho trovato più interessante la seconda metà del libro, dal dopoguerra in poi, rispetto alla prima. Ma questo è principalmente perché ero maggiormente interessato alla crescita e il declino dell’azienda nel corso della guerra fredda.
Forse al livello biografico alcuni personaggi chiave avrebbero potuto essere introdotti un po’ meglio.
In ogni caso il libro da un quadro preciso di cosa avrebbe potuto significare Olivetti per l’Italia. Dal punto di vista dei prodotti e del design possiamo sicuramente dire che ha fatto scuola ispirando la Apple. Dal punto di vista industriale è stata una delle tante vittime di un mondo polarizzato nella seconda metà del novecento.
Forse al livello biografico alcuni personaggi chiave avrebbero potuto essere introdotti un po’ meglio.
In ogni caso il libro da un quadro preciso di cosa avrebbe potuto significare Olivetti per l’Italia. Dal punto di vista dei prodotti e del design possiamo sicuramente dire che ha fatto scuola ispirando la Apple. Dal punto di vista industriale è stata una delle tante vittime di un mondo polarizzato nella seconda metà del novecento.
March 13, 2020
A very well-written communal biography of the Olivetti family, a group of industrialists that built a successful technology company in a relatively poor agricultural area nested at the foothills of the alps. The author chronicles the rise of the company as manufacturers of typewriters and mechanical calculators, all the way to their eventual takeover of Underwood in the 1960s, then the largest manufacturer of typewriters worldwide.
The latter third of the book is not so successful. The author has a great track record as a biographer, and seems to lack a clear understanding of business cycles in technology. Olivetti was caught on the wrong side of the transition between mechanical and electronic typewriters, as most successful companies do, by the the inertia of sticking to what is already working (we call this "innovator's dilemma"). While the P101 and other remarkable inventions (the latter M24 computer was a success of its own, propelling the company to #3 in PC sales worldwide in 1986), there is nothing intrinsically odd in the failure of a technology development to reach market success: in fact, one could argue that failure to market (or to succeed in the market) is more the rule than the exception.
Instead of a straightforward explanation, the author chooses the conspiracy theory version: the CIA killed the CEO of the company on a train ride to Switzerland (he died of a heart attack), and that similarly the death of a senior engineer was orchestrated and not accidental (he died in a car crash). Not even a shred of proof is offered, only vague statements of "may have known", and IBM "had to have been just as involved," again supplied with zero evidence. The author suggests that General Patton was assassinated in car accident orchestrated by the intelligence service, and so, just as well, clearly the same is possible for the brilliant engineer.
This level of conjecturing is hardly worth of serious writing, or the reader's time. Conspiracy theories may help sell books, and as Ben Downing points out in his spot-on WSJ review of the book, other countries are way ahead of the US in their appetite for conspiracies as an explanation for everything, but while the family and industrial history of Olivetti is interesting and well researched, the spy story does not stand on its own. The Olivettis made some business mistakes, lost control of their company, yet the re-capitalized company successfully continued for almost 40 years after these events — extraordinary foul play claims requires extraordinary evidence, and despite the tantalizing title, there is none to be found in this book.
The latter third of the book is not so successful. The author has a great track record as a biographer, and seems to lack a clear understanding of business cycles in technology. Olivetti was caught on the wrong side of the transition between mechanical and electronic typewriters, as most successful companies do, by the the inertia of sticking to what is already working (we call this "innovator's dilemma"). While the P101 and other remarkable inventions (the latter M24 computer was a success of its own, propelling the company to #3 in PC sales worldwide in 1986), there is nothing intrinsically odd in the failure of a technology development to reach market success: in fact, one could argue that failure to market (or to succeed in the market) is more the rule than the exception.
Instead of a straightforward explanation, the author chooses the conspiracy theory version: the CIA killed the CEO of the company on a train ride to Switzerland (he died of a heart attack), and that similarly the death of a senior engineer was orchestrated and not accidental (he died in a car crash). Not even a shred of proof is offered, only vague statements of "may have known", and IBM "had to have been just as involved," again supplied with zero evidence. The author suggests that General Patton was assassinated in car accident orchestrated by the intelligence service, and so, just as well, clearly the same is possible for the brilliant engineer.
This level of conjecturing is hardly worth of serious writing, or the reader's time. Conspiracy theories may help sell books, and as Ben Downing points out in his spot-on WSJ review of the book, other countries are way ahead of the US in their appetite for conspiracies as an explanation for everything, but while the family and industrial history of Olivetti is interesting and well researched, the spy story does not stand on its own. The Olivettis made some business mistakes, lost control of their company, yet the re-capitalized company successfully continued for almost 40 years after these events — extraordinary foul play claims requires extraordinary evidence, and despite the tantalizing title, there is none to be found in this book.
May 26, 2020
Meryle Secrest has written highly acclaimed biographies of artists and architects including Modigliani, Bernstein, Wright, and Berenson, and now in her eighties, she turns to the brilliant Italian industrialists Adriano Olivetti. But instead of writing a straight biography, she posits a conspiracy in which American intelligence services, concerned about powerful minicomputers becoming available to Cold War enemies, assassinate the head of Olivetti's desktop computing project, and then Olivetti himself. While this is not entirely implausible given the history of American Cold War interventionism in Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, Iran, Zaire, and many other places, neither is it, despite Secrest's efforts, entirely convincing. In fact, she would have done much better to fold her idea into a more standard biography of Olivetti—the company, the dynasty, or the man, all of which are (really!) interesting enough to support that project.
Those histories have been written, I believe, in Italian, but not to my knowledge translated to English. Until they are, this book will have to do as an introduction to Adriano Olivetti and his remarkable vision of a humane and democratic industrial society, which he successfully nursed through the Fascist era and the second world war into the cold war period. Now the immense Olivetti complex in Ivrea stands mostly unoccupied and one of the most interesting socio-industrial projects of the twentieth century is in danger of being forgotten. If only we had a chronicler who finds that story the most interesting one. Meanwhile, this book, despite its flaws, is well worth the read.
Those histories have been written, I believe, in Italian, but not to my knowledge translated to English. Until they are, this book will have to do as an introduction to Adriano Olivetti and his remarkable vision of a humane and democratic industrial society, which he successfully nursed through the Fascist era and the second world war into the cold war period. Now the immense Olivetti complex in Ivrea stands mostly unoccupied and one of the most interesting socio-industrial projects of the twentieth century is in danger of being forgotten. If only we had a chronicler who finds that story the most interesting one. Meanwhile, this book, despite its flaws, is well worth the read.
November 4, 2024
Un libro sulla Olivetti abbastanza strano: l'autrice incontra a cena Roberto Olivetti (figlio del più celebre Adriano ed uno dei protagonisti del primo tentativo della Olivetti di virare verso l'elettronica), se ne appassiona, e decide di scrivere una biografia dell'azienda dalla genesi fino alla morte di Adriano ed alle vicende già note del gruppo di intervento, della svendita del comparto elettronico, dell'incidente di Mario Tchou, e della P101.
Il materiale è in larga misura già noto ed il libro non ha molto di interessante. Non aiuta che l'autrice sembri disinteressata da alcuni degli aspetti più interessanti della storia dell'Olivetti per concentrarsi su vaghe disamine psicologiche e gossip a tutto tondo sui protagonisti. Paradossalmente anche l'elettronica è di poco interesse, arrivando nel libro verso pagina 240. Non mancano invece divagazioni senza troppo senso tra cui una biografia di James Angleton (uno dei principali agenti della intelligence statunitense in Italia nel secondo dopoguerra), Gladio, ed il "principe nero" Borghese. Tra l'altro l'autrice sembra conoscere pochissimo l'Italia e per descriverla decide di citare a sproposito ed a più riprese diversi libri caricaturali tra cui The Italians di John Hopper.
La "tesi complottista" del libro è una presa in giro aggiunta a posteriori per giustificare la copertina ed il titolo - ed immagino per spingere le vendite. Appare solo nelle ultime pagine del libro, senza offrire nessun briciolo di prova (più o meno la tesi è "visto che Mattei è stato ucciso e le ingerenze della CIA in Italia sono ben note, possiamo assumere che anche Adriano Olivetti e Mario Tchou siano stati uccisi"). Non che sia la prima ad avanzare questa ipotesi, ma a 60 anni di distanza la totale mancanza di prove (si confronti, appunto, con gli altri episodi citati sopra) lascia perplessi. Peraltro non è neanche chiaro quale sia questo complotto (gli americani erano spaventati dall'acquisto della Underwood ma hanno lasciato che proseguisse? erano spaventati dalle potenzialità strategiche della P101 prima ancora che venisse ideata?).
Il materiale è in larga misura già noto ed il libro non ha molto di interessante. Non aiuta che l'autrice sembri disinteressata da alcuni degli aspetti più interessanti della storia dell'Olivetti per concentrarsi su vaghe disamine psicologiche e gossip a tutto tondo sui protagonisti. Paradossalmente anche l'elettronica è di poco interesse, arrivando nel libro verso pagina 240. Non mancano invece divagazioni senza troppo senso tra cui una biografia di James Angleton (uno dei principali agenti della intelligence statunitense in Italia nel secondo dopoguerra), Gladio, ed il "principe nero" Borghese. Tra l'altro l'autrice sembra conoscere pochissimo l'Italia e per descriverla decide di citare a sproposito ed a più riprese diversi libri caricaturali tra cui The Italians di John Hopper.
La "tesi complottista" del libro è una presa in giro aggiunta a posteriori per giustificare la copertina ed il titolo - ed immagino per spingere le vendite. Appare solo nelle ultime pagine del libro, senza offrire nessun briciolo di prova (più o meno la tesi è "visto che Mattei è stato ucciso e le ingerenze della CIA in Italia sono ben note, possiamo assumere che anche Adriano Olivetti e Mario Tchou siano stati uccisi"). Non che sia la prima ad avanzare questa ipotesi, ma a 60 anni di distanza la totale mancanza di prove (si confronti, appunto, con gli altri episodi citati sopra) lascia perplessi. Peraltro non è neanche chiaro quale sia questo complotto (gli americani erano spaventati dall'acquisto della Underwood ma hanno lasciato che proseguisse? erano spaventati dalle potenzialità strategiche della P101 prima ancora che venisse ideata?).
December 11, 2019
I happened upon this book and the title caught my eye. Computer history, cold war, spooks? Sign me up.
But the title promises much and this is an example of overselling something that barely fits said title. The book doesn't really know what it wants to be about. Is it the Olivetti family? The company? Typewriters? Or early computers?
Most of it is Italian soap opera. We get to see the drama of who is married to whom, who is having affairs and illegitimate children. This is simply noise, as why do stories about the senior Olivetti getting the Swiss babysitter pregnant have to do with computers?
Now, I see this as an interesting story about a company that took care of its workers. The Olivetti company was way ahead of its time in treating people like people, not widgets. You could do a whole book just on the culture of a family run shop & how that in turn lead to all kinds of innovations. But no, soap opera.
The very last part of the book we get to learn about the PC, which really isn't one. Its more an advanced calculation machine. Neat, but not up to the title. Conspiracy? IBM got military money to develop its computers. Olivetti couldn't take military contracts, so while scrappy and pushing boundaries, they didn't get deep pocketed funding.
The whole thing is a let down as the premise never pans out and a lot of leaps of logic of why their take on computers ultimately failed. It isn't worth the time to find the small nuggets, that could be boiled down into 2-3 pages. Everything else is Italian soap opera.
But the title promises much and this is an example of overselling something that barely fits said title. The book doesn't really know what it wants to be about. Is it the Olivetti family? The company? Typewriters? Or early computers?
Most of it is Italian soap opera. We get to see the drama of who is married to whom, who is having affairs and illegitimate children. This is simply noise, as why do stories about the senior Olivetti getting the Swiss babysitter pregnant have to do with computers?
Now, I see this as an interesting story about a company that took care of its workers. The Olivetti company was way ahead of its time in treating people like people, not widgets. You could do a whole book just on the culture of a family run shop & how that in turn lead to all kinds of innovations. But no, soap opera.
The very last part of the book we get to learn about the PC, which really isn't one. Its more an advanced calculation machine. Neat, but not up to the title. Conspiracy? IBM got military money to develop its computers. Olivetti couldn't take military contracts, so while scrappy and pushing boundaries, they didn't get deep pocketed funding.
The whole thing is a let down as the premise never pans out and a lot of leaps of logic of why their take on computers ultimately failed. It isn't worth the time to find the small nuggets, that could be boiled down into 2-3 pages. Everything else is Italian soap opera.
November 14, 2023
Olivetti was founded on the dream of factories producing not just goods, but doing good. Then it all collapsed.
Camillo Olivetti founded the company in the early 20th century, making various office equipment, but it was when they started making beautifully designed and robust typewriters that the company took off.
The family was of Spanish Jewish background, and during Garcia's there was a careful balancing act of pretending to support Mussolini, while also secretly working to undermine his administration. At this time, Adriano Olivetti was infact a spy for OAS (later CIA), and would travel to Switzerland a lot, smuggling antifascist propaganda and the like.
After the war, the family retained control and made a series of beautifully designed typewriters and mechanical calculators.
Then things started turning. Adriano Olivetti died under mysterious circumstances on a train ride to Switzerland, and the head of the skunk work electronic calculator laboratory died in an unexplained accident a year later.
The Olivetti P101 was by some accounts the world's first programmable desktop computer, and took the world by storm. HP brought out a remarkably similar machine not long afterwards, but this book doesn't convincingly implicate HP in any plagiarizing.
This book describes the rise and fall of the company, but doesn't quite succeed in pinning the blame of the downfall on IBM or CIA, as the books subtitle promises.
Camillo Olivetti founded the company in the early 20th century, making various office equipment, but it was when they started making beautifully designed and robust typewriters that the company took off.
The family was of Spanish Jewish background, and during Garcia's there was a careful balancing act of pretending to support Mussolini, while also secretly working to undermine his administration. At this time, Adriano Olivetti was infact a spy for OAS (later CIA), and would travel to Switzerland a lot, smuggling antifascist propaganda and the like.
After the war, the family retained control and made a series of beautifully designed typewriters and mechanical calculators.
Then things started turning. Adriano Olivetti died under mysterious circumstances on a train ride to Switzerland, and the head of the skunk work electronic calculator laboratory died in an unexplained accident a year later.
The Olivetti P101 was by some accounts the world's first programmable desktop computer, and took the world by storm. HP brought out a remarkably similar machine not long afterwards, but this book doesn't convincingly implicate HP in any plagiarizing.
This book describes the rise and fall of the company, but doesn't quite succeed in pinning the blame of the downfall on IBM or CIA, as the books subtitle promises.
February 23, 2024
Un libro sulla storia dell'Olivetti, dalla sua nascita alla (ahimè) caduta.
Il libro non tira fuori parecchie novità, come ci si sarebbe potuti aspettare, ma regala uno spaccato della storia di questa mitica azienda italiana. Leggere le pagine su Adriano o sul P101 dà sempre certe emozioni.
Un paio di note:
- Interessanti alcuni passaggi sulla CIA, sulle sue tecniche e sugli uomini che vi hanno lavorato. Per fortuna anche al pubblico non-italiano si danno notizie riguardo le azioni portate avanti dal deep state americano negli anni della guerra fredda in Italia, come l'operazione Gladio. Ancora più "interessante" il fatto che la documentazione desecretata della CIA riguardo l'Olivetti non sia stata condivisa con l'autrice. Cosa si deve pensare a riguardo?
- Viene finalmente messa in risalto anche la figura di Roberto Olivetti, figlio di Adriano, e unico membro della famiglia ad essersi reso conto, dopo la morte (sospetta) del padre, che l'elettronica era il futuro. A lui il merito di aver dato pieno sostegno a Mario Tchou, a capo della sezione elettronica e anche lui morto sospetto.
E' facile, leggendo tali storie, farsi prendere da un po' di malinconia per cose che non sono state e mai saranno.
In definitiva, un libro che si lascia leggere facilmente, ma che lascia ancora tutti interrogativi di quando si è cominciata la lettura. Non possiamo far altro che augurarci, insieme all'autrice, che prima o poi tutta la verità venga a galla.
Il libro non tira fuori parecchie novità, come ci si sarebbe potuti aspettare, ma regala uno spaccato della storia di questa mitica azienda italiana. Leggere le pagine su Adriano o sul P101 dà sempre certe emozioni.
Un paio di note:
- Interessanti alcuni passaggi sulla CIA, sulle sue tecniche e sugli uomini che vi hanno lavorato. Per fortuna anche al pubblico non-italiano si danno notizie riguardo le azioni portate avanti dal deep state americano negli anni della guerra fredda in Italia, come l'operazione Gladio. Ancora più "interessante" il fatto che la documentazione desecretata della CIA riguardo l'Olivetti non sia stata condivisa con l'autrice. Cosa si deve pensare a riguardo?
- Viene finalmente messa in risalto anche la figura di Roberto Olivetti, figlio di Adriano, e unico membro della famiglia ad essersi reso conto, dopo la morte (sospetta) del padre, che l'elettronica era il futuro. A lui il merito di aver dato pieno sostegno a Mario Tchou, a capo della sezione elettronica e anche lui morto sospetto.
E' facile, leggendo tali storie, farsi prendere da un po' di malinconia per cose che non sono state e mai saranno.
In definitiva, un libro che si lascia leggere facilmente, ma che lascia ancora tutti interrogativi di quando si è cominciata la lettura. Non possiamo far altro che augurarci, insieme all'autrice, che prima o poi tutta la verità venga a galla.
November 10, 2019
A family business growing and changing. World War 2. Trysts and deceit. Mechanical and electronic engineering. Marriages and divorces. Geopolitical machinations.
These set some of the background and content for the authors exploration of the Olivetti corporation, once one of the largest manufacturers of business machines in the world.
A fascinating read, with much family history and the culmination of great thought and activity in engineering, social activism, art, design, and architecture.
It did take quite a bit of time to get through the fascinating backstory of the family and business before one got to the last chapter, the one which really got into the gritty information that provided the books subtitle. The fact that what can be considered the worlds first desktop computer was created a decade before Apple and IBM's endeavours is an eye-opener. And given the cold-war sentimatilities of that era there is likely more to the story than is presented.
Kudos to the author for her investigation and the process that generated this text. (there are several authors and books mentioned in the Acknowledgements that appear to be worthwhile in seeking out for further exploration of the information.)
Disclosure: I received the advance copy via a give-away on GoodReads.com
These set some of the background and content for the authors exploration of the Olivetti corporation, once one of the largest manufacturers of business machines in the world.
A fascinating read, with much family history and the culmination of great thought and activity in engineering, social activism, art, design, and architecture.
It did take quite a bit of time to get through the fascinating backstory of the family and business before one got to the last chapter, the one which really got into the gritty information that provided the books subtitle. The fact that what can be considered the worlds first desktop computer was created a decade before Apple and IBM's endeavours is an eye-opener. And given the cold-war sentimatilities of that era there is likely more to the story than is presented.
Kudos to the author for her investigation and the process that generated this text. (there are several authors and books mentioned in the Acknowledgements that appear to be worthwhile in seeking out for further exploration of the information.)
Disclosure: I received the advance copy via a give-away on GoodReads.com
June 5, 2020
I honestly thought this was a book I probably wouldn’t like, but I’m glad I decided to read it. Fascinating story. The story not only contained Cold War history but also World War 2 history as it pertained to Olivetti and Italy. There are shocking bits of information on IBM and Hitler as well as Fiat and the role the US government played in Italy post World War 2 through the Cold War. While the book seems to be well researched, it concludes with conjecture/conspiracy theory. This doesn’t necessarily appear to be the author’s fault. It’s more in the line of a mystery that will never be solved because evidence is held captive in history. I debated between 3 or 4 stars and decided on 3 because the organizational structure made the story somewhat challenging to follow at times. For one, the book doesn’t follow a linear timeline. For another, there are many people introduced throughout the book. Each time a new person is introduced, you feel like you’re reading a mini-biography of the person’s life that interrupts the natural flow of the story until you discover how the person fits into Olivetti’s story. Still, the information presented in the book is interesting enough that I would choose to read it again.
April 21, 2025
Un libro scritto con uno stile tipo la posta del cuore.
Visione stereotipata e insopportabile sull’Italia del dopoguerra, fatta di mariti infedeli, mafiosi, traditori, complottisti con citazioni strumentali a suffragare questa narrazione.
Troppo copia-incolla: la prima parte del libro è letteralmente copia-incolla di Lessico Famigliare di Natalia Ginzburg, successivamente viene citata come documentazione la fiction della RAI “Adriano Olivetti – La forza di un sogno”. ASSURDO
Tante idee, poche prove: manca la forza per supportare le accuse mosse nei confronti dei potenziali detrattori. L’autrice cade nella fallacia del “possibile, quindi probabile”, ma senza apportare delle evidenze concrete. Le parti più intriganti sono comunque già ampiamente note e si trovano a partire dalla pagina Wikipedia dell’azienda.
Ampie sezioni sono dedicate a percorsi paralleli CHE NULLA C’entrano con la trama, come il Carnevale di Ivrea, le vicende amorose della famiglia Olivetti, le scelte architettoniche dell’azienda.
Visione stereotipata e insopportabile sull’Italia del dopoguerra, fatta di mariti infedeli, mafiosi, traditori, complottisti con citazioni strumentali a suffragare questa narrazione.
Troppo copia-incolla: la prima parte del libro è letteralmente copia-incolla di Lessico Famigliare di Natalia Ginzburg, successivamente viene citata come documentazione la fiction della RAI “Adriano Olivetti – La forza di un sogno”. ASSURDO
Tante idee, poche prove: manca la forza per supportare le accuse mosse nei confronti dei potenziali detrattori. L’autrice cade nella fallacia del “possibile, quindi probabile”, ma senza apportare delle evidenze concrete. Le parti più intriganti sono comunque già ampiamente note e si trovano a partire dalla pagina Wikipedia dell’azienda.
Ampie sezioni sono dedicate a percorsi paralleli CHE NULLA C’entrano con la trama, come il Carnevale di Ivrea, le vicende amorose della famiglia Olivetti, le scelte architettoniche dell’azienda.
May 4, 2025
Un saggio completo. Non è solo la biografia della famiglia Olivetti durante tutto il XX secolo e non è neanche soltanto la biografia di 3 uomini fondamentali: Camillo, Adriano e Roberto Olivetti. E' anche la storia di un marchio straordinario che ha toccato più volte il successo internazionale, fatto poi a pezzi e svenduto con l'appoggio miope (o forse no) del fronte politico interno e dalle aziende italiane. E' anche la storia dell'Italia del '900, a cavallo delle 2 Guerre Mondiali, del fascismo e dell'antifascismo, della ricostruzione, dello spionaggio e del contro spionaggio, delle grandi aziende tecnologiche e della guerra fredda, quella tensione geopolitica tra il blocco occidentale, manovrato dagli interessi degli Stati Uniti d'America, e il blocco orientale, manovrato dalle forze della vecchia Unione Sovietica.
Non ci sono solo certezze ma anche ipotesi, forse qualcuna fin troppo soggettiva. Ma, per me, resta una lettura veramente appassionante.
Non ci sono solo certezze ma anche ipotesi, forse qualcuna fin troppo soggettiva. Ma, per me, resta una lettura veramente appassionante.
August 4, 2025
A long wait until the most interesting content
The history of the generations of Olivetti was a bit of a slog, not helped by the narrator’s voice, which I found so annoying that I could only listen at 2.0x speed. Then all the most interesting content (that the book’s subtitle refers to) comes in a rush in the last 20% of the book. I would have appreciated more depth and context here but, alas, the author was probably either out of steam, or rushing to complete on deadline.
A delightful surprise was a whole section on architecture, rising out construction of a factory in the city of Pozzuoli. Google this article for some great photos: A Factory Filled with Light – Olivetti at Pozzuoli.
I also appreciated the point when Matera (the ancient Italian city built into rocks/hills) was mentioned; the catchphrase “the shame of Italy” caused me to turn to Google as well, where I learned so much!
The history of the generations of Olivetti was a bit of a slog, not helped by the narrator’s voice, which I found so annoying that I could only listen at 2.0x speed. Then all the most interesting content (that the book’s subtitle refers to) comes in a rush in the last 20% of the book. I would have appreciated more depth and context here but, alas, the author was probably either out of steam, or rushing to complete on deadline.
A delightful surprise was a whole section on architecture, rising out construction of a factory in the city of Pozzuoli. Google this article for some great photos: A Factory Filled with Light – Olivetti at Pozzuoli.
I also appreciated the point when Matera (the ancient Italian city built into rocks/hills) was mentioned; the catchphrase “the shame of Italy” caused me to turn to Google as well, where I learned so much!
August 26, 2022
Read it only if you are interested in 'the vibe.'
The title promises something of a too-good-to-be-true thriller. There is in fact not very much Cold War intrigue in the book at all. It is, however, an engaging account of an interesting and important family, and has a lot of totally irrelevant but rather interesting comments on 'the scene' in mid-century Italy. The author is primarily an art historian, and she makes little attempt to resist the temptation to digress into comments on Bernard Berenson and others who have nothing to do with the story other than just sort of being around at the same time.
Don't expect too many intricate details on industrial espionage, Italian corporatism, or the development of electronics. But there are more than enough interesting anecdotes and character sketches to make it a more than half-decent beach read.
The title promises something of a too-good-to-be-true thriller. There is in fact not very much Cold War intrigue in the book at all. It is, however, an engaging account of an interesting and important family, and has a lot of totally irrelevant but rather interesting comments on 'the scene' in mid-century Italy. The author is primarily an art historian, and she makes little attempt to resist the temptation to digress into comments on Bernard Berenson and others who have nothing to do with the story other than just sort of being around at the same time.
Don't expect too many intricate details on industrial espionage, Italian corporatism, or the development of electronics. But there are more than enough interesting anecdotes and character sketches to make it a more than half-decent beach read.
November 30, 2019
Having little background on Olivetti, I found myself simultaneously intrigued and disappointed by this book. The premise of the story is that Olivetti invented the first PC as we generally recognize the term, and there was some nefarious intelligence play to shut it down. The reality of this book is as follows:
* haphazard background on various parts of the Olivetti clan, with weak writing mixed in
* eventually getting to the PC part and realizing the machine was cutting edge but not the PC we think of
* random speculation which adds nothing in the way of credibility in the final chapters as to why he died on the train that day
Skip the book and Google the matter. You will get there quicker with the same results.
* haphazard background on various parts of the Olivetti clan, with weak writing mixed in
* eventually getting to the PC part and realizing the machine was cutting edge but not the PC we think of
* random speculation which adds nothing in the way of credibility in the final chapters as to why he died on the train that day
Skip the book and Google the matter. You will get there quicker with the same results.
February 23, 2025
Argomento interessante, come anche gli spunti, i collegamenti e le ipotesi avanzate dall'autrice. Gli intrecci tra geopolitica, ingerenze degli Stati Uniti, guerra fredda, politica italiana, guerra, imprenditoria rendono questo libro molto interessante. In alcuni casi però l'autrice si dilunga in dettagli che ritengo troppo di contorno e senza valore aggiunto per la storia, af esempio parlando degli arredamenti delle abitazioni. Come fatto notare in altre recensioni, c'è anche qualche errore di traduzione. In conclusione vale la pena leggerlo sicuramente per l'argomento, non tanto per lo stile di scrittura di questo libro specifico.
November 13, 2019
I did not finish this book. I read up to page 73 and had to stop.
The cover and description are beautiful. There is so much excitement and intrigue in both. However, it feels like Meryle and her marketing team have two different agendas. The book is written in a very dry tone and discusses politics and architecture quite a bit. And while these both have a part in the main story, I felt as if I were reading through a bunch of Wikipedia articles.
I wanted to keep reading, but increasingly found myself dreading reading more of this book.
The cover and description are beautiful. There is so much excitement and intrigue in both. However, it feels like Meryle and her marketing team have two different agendas. The book is written in a very dry tone and discusses politics and architecture quite a bit. And while these both have a part in the main story, I felt as if I were reading through a bunch of Wikipedia articles.
I wanted to keep reading, but increasingly found myself dreading reading more of this book.
March 27, 2021
Secrest - il caso Olivetti - 7 - l’epopea familiare degli Olivetti, dagli albori al fallimento passando per gli anni della gloria. Appassiona, e fa un po’ rabbia perché si intuisce che Olivetti sia stata vittima se non di complotti almeno di ostracismo a livello nazionale ingiustificabile. Talento italiano dilapidato e non valorizzato. Poi nell’ultimo capitolo l’autore lancia le bombe, cuccia cia ibm e agnelli. Di valore assoluto la concezione della fabbrica, del design e degli impiegati. Visionario
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2021
This book tries to convince you that there was some sort of foul play that destroyed the Olivetti Company. Not only does this seem far-fetched, but the author doesn't begin to discuss this until a few pages near the end of the book. On top of this, the author throw in so many needless parenthetical thoughts that the comma key on her keyboard must be completely worn out. If you are looking for an exciting book about corporate intrigue, you will be disappointed. If you want to read about wild speculation regarding a company that was sort-of important, then I guess this is for you.
August 6, 2024
I finished this book and I have to admit that it has been under my expectations.
Despite the preface and the title is not focused on the P101 and his history and is not explaining anything about the life around the team who made elea 2003 etc.
3/4 of the book will tell you about the “gossip” of Olivetti’s that I already read from another book ( where a lot of contents have been taken) and the political life of Adriano.
I’m sorry but I was expecting a bit more also about the end of Olivetti company and tech details and challenges.
Despite the preface and the title is not focused on the P101 and his history and is not explaining anything about the life around the team who made elea 2003 etc.
3/4 of the book will tell you about the “gossip” of Olivetti’s that I already read from another book ( where a lot of contents have been taken) and the political life of Adriano.
I’m sorry but I was expecting a bit more also about the end of Olivetti company and tech details and challenges.
April 4, 2025
Mysterious affair? Nah, just corporate inability to properly read the tea leaves. the key motivator for a small computer dies, and the ownership of Olivetti is split amoung many family members who just want their payout, assuming it will keep coming.
the swiss ignored the quartz movement, leaving it to the Japanese. Kodak invented the digital camera, but didn't want to cut into film sales. and the PC as we know it didn't become popular until the '70s, more than 10 years after Olivetti had an example running it the lab.
it is hard to cheer for this version of history.
the swiss ignored the quartz movement, leaving it to the Japanese. Kodak invented the digital camera, but didn't want to cut into film sales. and the PC as we know it didn't become popular until the '70s, more than 10 years after Olivetti had an example running it the lab.
it is hard to cheer for this version of history.
December 2, 2019
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for review.
This book was basically a hodgepodge history of the Olivetti family: what they manufactured, where they had offices, who lived where and with whom, who they liked, what their politics were, and so forth. As a dynastic history, it was barely adequate. As a book about the history of desktop computers, it was a failure. If there was a conspiracy, I must have skipped over it because I don't remember reading about one.
This book was basically a hodgepodge history of the Olivetti family: what they manufactured, where they had offices, who lived where and with whom, who they liked, what their politics were, and so forth. As a dynastic history, it was barely adequate. As a book about the history of desktop computers, it was a failure. If there was a conspiracy, I must have skipped over it because I don't remember reading about one.
January 30, 2020
This book is incredibly clunky. It’s bogged down by dense writing. It’s a textbook example of never judging a book by its cover. You do not get to the story about Olivetti’s first desktop computer until you’re in the last quarter of the book. This book is mainly about the Olivetti family, not the computer and the CIA, which wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t sold as a mainly a story about the computer arms race. Very disappointing.
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