Texas Instruments has maintained a dominant position in the graphing calculator market, and that long-running grip on the product is the subject of the next episode of Version History. David Pierce is joined by Nilay Patel and Victoria Song to recount their memories of the calculators and explain how one company took over the market and never let it go. The same calculator has appeared on most back-to-school shopping lists since the early 2000s, according to the podcast. The dominance of Texas Instruments’ calculator division stretches back even further than that.
The episode serves as the second installment of the fifth season of Version History, which focuses on heading back to school. Earlier in the season, the podcast covered the perilous journeys of The Oregon Trail that many students experienced in the computer lab. Over the coming weeks, the show plans to discuss One Laptop Per Child, Chromebook, LeapPad, and the overhead projector.
Texas Instruments’ calculator business is the focus of the episode, with Patel and Song sharing their recollections of the devices. The Verge published the episode on September 20, 2026. The podcast is available through the Verge Staff Podcasts feed.
Listeners who want to know more about the history of TI graphing calculators can find links to get started, according to the article. The story of how the company built and held its market position is told through the memories of Patel and Song, alongside Pierce’s hosting. The installment examines a product that has remained a fixture of the back-to-school season for years.
The episode is part of a season that explores the technology students have encountered in and out of the classroom. The Oregon Trail episode preceded it, and the planned episodes on One Laptop Per Child, Chromebook, LeapPad, and the overhead projector will follow. Version History is a podcast from The Verge.
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