Profile Eben Upton
Sep 28, 2024
Eben Upton, co-founder of Raspberry Pi and a driving force behind making computing affordable for learners. He recalls childhood hacks that led to designing a low‑cost Python-friendly computer. The conversation covers the Pi’s design-for-value, its manufacturing shift to Wales, classroom and space projects, and the surprising commercial and educational impact worldwide.
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Value For Money Was The Core Design Principle
- Eben Upton focused on producing value for money by cramming capability into a single chip to make powerful low-cost computers.
- That chip design and cost-first mindset enabled Raspberry Pi to dominate the single-board computer market globally.
Charity Plus Trading Company Model Funding Education
- Raspberry Pi split into a charity and a trading company so profits from selling hardware fund educational objectives.
- The charity owns the trading company and gifts profits back to support getting kids into coding.
Launch Demand Crashed Their Systems
- The initial Raspberry Pi launch created massive demand and overwhelmed their systems, described as "blew its socks off."
- Harriet Green recalled the launch ran very slowly because interest was enormous, then manufacturing scaled up.
