 | |
 Headquarters at theEPFL Innovation Park inLausanne, Switzerland | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| |
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2 October 1981; 44 years ago (1981-10-02) inApples,Switzerland |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | |
| Brands |
|
| Revenue |  US$4.30 billion (2024) |
 US$587 million (2024) | |
| US$612 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$3.60 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$2.23 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | c. 7,300 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references Financials as of 31 March 2024[update][3] | |
Logitech International S.A. (/ˈlɒdʒɪtɛk/LOJ-i-tek) is a Swiss-American multinational manufacturer of computer peripherals and software. Headquartered inLausanne, Switzerland andNewark,California[4][1] the company has offices throughoutEurope,Asia,Oceania, and theAmericas. It is a component of theSwiss Market Index, and is listed on theNasdaq.
The company develops and markets personal peripherals for PC navigation, video communication and collaboration, music and smart homes.This includes products likekeyboards,mice,tablet accessories, headphones and headsets,webcams,Bluetooth speakers,universal remotes and more. Its name is derived fromlogiciel (the French word for software) and 'tech'.[5]
Logitech was founded inApples, Vaud, Switzerland, in 1981, byDaniel "Bobo" Borel,Pierluigi Zappacosta, and formerOlivetti engineerGiacomo Marini. Swiss-born Borel and Italian-born Zappacosta had met inCalifornia while taking electrical engineering classes in the late 1970s atStanford University, under professors such asEthernet inventorRobert Metcalfe.[7] Returning to Europe, they began working on new ideas nearRomanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland, and they brought in the Italian engineer Marini to round out the new company. Borel served aschairman of the board, focused on sales and manufacturing, and he waschief executive officer (CEO) for most of the 1990s. Zappacosta served as president and a period as CEO, and he oversaw research. He left Logitech in 1997 to lead Digital Persona, abiometrics company.[8]
The company founders first concentrated on creatingword processing software for a large Swiss company, but the company canceled the project. Next, they turned to thecomputer mouse as an essential component of thegraphical user interface used by aworkstation requested by the Japanese companyRicoh. Logitech's first mouse, the P4 model, was produced in 1982 in Switzerland, based on an opto-mechanical design by Swiss inventorJean-Daniel Nicoud working at theÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne).[7] The company also published a version ofModula-2 for the IBM PC.[9]
One of Logitech's offices was at165 University Avenue,Palo Alto, California, US, home to a number of noted technology startups in the birthplace ofSilicon Valley.[10] In 1984, Logitech won a contract to supplyHewlett-Packard with computer mice in the role oforiginal equipment manufacturer (OEM). The mice that Logitech supplied to HP were made in a new factory inFremont, California, and they were branded HP: they did not display the Logitech name. In the early-to-mid-1980s, Logitech stopped making mice in Switzerland, instead opening factories inCork, Ireland, andHsinchu, Taiwan, in addition to the Fremont location.[11]
Logitech created the first wireless mouse in 1984, usinginfrared (IR) light to connect to theMetaphor Computer Systems workstation developed byDavid Liddle and Donald Massaro, formerXerox PARC engineers. The Metaphor's keyboard was also IR wireless. Theconsumer IR connection scheme required a clear line of sight for data transfer, and did not work well on a cluttered desk. The wireless mouse did not gain widespread adoption until 1991 when Logitech introduced the first mouse based on aradio frequency connection, not limited to line-of-sight.[12]
In 1985, Swiss inventorRené Sommer developedmicroprocessor circuitry for the wired mouse, making it more responsive to human movement. Logitech incorporated a Sommer-styleCMOS microprocessor in their first retail mouse product, the rectangular three-buttonserial C7 product released in 1985, selling for $99 (equivalent to $289 in 2024). The next wired mouse model, the S9 released in 1989, was curved to fit the human hand, and it carried the Logitech logo for the first time.[13]
In 1988, Logitech incorporated as Logitech International SA with aninitial public offering (IPO) on the Zürich stock exchange. In 1989, Logitech produced its firsttrackball product, the TrackMan. Also in 1989, the company was nominated forPC Mag's Technical Excellence Award for the patented development tool Multiscope Debugger. The application was written forOS/2, followed by versions for theDOS andWindows 3.0 operating systems. Logitech won the award in January 1990.[14]
Logitech re-organized their manufacturing in 1994, shutting down Fremont operations and opening a major facility inSuzhou, China. The Cork, Ireland, location downsized to become an R&D center, and the Hsinchu, Taiwan, factory was kept only for test runs and prototypes.[11] Logitech bought theConnectixwebcam division in 1998 for $25 million, then releasedQuickCam, the first webcam with an integrated microphone. By the year 2000, Logitech was the leader in global sales of webcams, with about four million units sold.[8]
In December 2008, the company announced it had produced its one-billionth computer mouse since beginning production in 1985.[15]
In January 2013, Bracken Darrell became Logitech's chief executive officer; then-CEO Guerrino De Luca continued as Logitech's chairman of the board.[16]
On 25 March 2017, Logitech signed a multi-year sponsorship deal withMcLaren as the Official Technology Peripherals Partner.[17] The deal would later be extended to McLaren's eSports endeavours under the Logitech G brand in 2020.[18]
On 29 July 2021, Logitech, in collaboration with choreographerJaQuel Knight, introduced its #Creators4BIPOC initiative under the Logitech For Creators brand. It allows social media creators, particularlyBIPOC influencers, to copyright and monetize their online creations by making it possible forchoreographers who amplify attention to hits by major artists in the entertainment business to securecopyright of their choreography usingLabanotation and earn royalties from it.[19][20]
In June 2023, Bracken Darrell (former CEO) left Logitech and board member Guy Gecht took over as interim CEO.[21]
On 30 October 2023, Logitech announced that Hanneke Faber would be taking over as the new CEO beginning December 1, 2023.[22] Faber was previously group President atUnilever.[23]
In 2001, Logitech acquiredLabtec for $150 million in order to expand its range of computer peripherals.[24]
In 2007, Logitech licensedHillcrest Labs' Freespace motion control technology to produce the MX Air Mouse, which allows a user to use natural gestures to control a PC.[25][26]
In August 2010, Logitech acquiredUltimate Ears, supplier of customin-ear monitors for professional musicians andBluetooth speakers for the consumer market.[27]
The company acquired video conferencing equipment maker Lifesize Communications in December 2009.[28] In January 2016, Logitech spun off Lifesize.[29][30]
Mirial, a mobile visual communications provider, was acquired in July 2011.[31]
On 12 April 2016, Logitech announced that they had agreed to acquireJaybird, a leader in wireless audio wearables for sports and active lifestyles, forUS$50 million, with an additional earnout of up toUS$45 million based on achievement of growth targets.[32]
On 15 September 2016, Logitech announced that they had purchased theSaitek brand and assets fromMad Catz forUS$13 million.[33] In August 2017,Astro Gaming, makers of professional gaming equipment (mainly headsets), was purchased forUS$85 million.[34]
Beyond Entertainment, an esports live broadcasting and digital media company, was purchased for an undisclosed amount in May 2018.[35] In July of that year, On 30 July 2018, Logitech announced that they had purchasedBlue Microphones forUS$117 million.[36]
On 26 September 2019, Logitech acquiredStreamlabs, producer of software and tools for live-streaming, for approximately $89 million.[37]
Logitech announced in July 2023 the acquisition of streaming controller maker Loupedeck for an undisclosed sum.[38]
In April 2016, Logitech agreed to pay a $7.5 million penalty following allegations that the company and certain former executives improperly inflated its financial results for the 2011 fiscal year to meet earnings guidance, along with other accounting violations. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stated that these accounting irregularities misrepresented the Swiss company's financial position, depriving investors of an accurate assessment of its performance.[39]
The first Logitech mice, starting from the P4, were made inLe Lieu, in the SwissCanton of Vaud[40] byDubois Dépraz SA.[41]
Production facilities were then established in theUnited States,Taiwan,Hungary andIreland before being moved toSuzhou, China. As of 2005[update], the manufacturing operations in China produce approximately half of Logitech's products. The remaining production is outsourced tocontract manufacturers and original design manufacturers inAsia.[42]
![The Logitech Mouse, later renamed the P4, designed by Jean-Daniel Nicoud and André Guignard. First sold in 1982, this was Logitech's first computer mouse and one of the first commercially available mice sold. This particular model of Logitech Mouse was sold with the Smaky microcomputer.[43][44][45]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSmakyMouseAG.jpeg)
Founded in 1981, and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Logitech's website address is www.logitech.com.
| Products |
|  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidiaries |
| |||||
| Related | ||||||
 Swiss Market Index companies of Switzerland | |
|---|---|
| Swiss Leader Index companies of Switzerland | |
|---|---|
