The story
The Learning Company was founded on May 8, 1980, by Ann McCormick; Leslie Grimm; Teri Perl; and Warren Robinett, a former Atari, Inc. employee who had programmed the game Adventure. They saw the Apple II as an opportunity to teach young children concepts of math, reading, science, problem-solving, and thinking skills. Part of the original funding for the company came from a National Science Foundation grant.
TLC produced launch titles for the PCjr, announced in late 1983. From 1980 through 1984, it created a line of 15 widely acclaimed children's educational software products, which were sold through the U.S. retail and school computer software channels.
In the first half of 1985, the board hired as CEO Bill Dinsmore. Shortly thereafter, Reece Duca, a founding Partner of the Investment Group of Santa Barbara (IGSB), became a member of the board of directors and purchased shares from several founders and original venture firms. In late 1986, Duca was elected chairman of the board. At that time, IGSB became The Learning Company's largest shareholder.
Between March 1985 and September 1995, TLC's revenues grew at a 36% compounded rate from $2.4M to $53.2M and profitability increased from breakeven in 1985 to a 20% pre-tax margin. The leading families of products were the Reader Rabbit series for ages 2–8, the Treasure Mountain Reading-Math-Science series for ages 5–9, the Super Solver series for ages 7–12, the Student Writing & Publishing Center for ages 7-adult, and the Foreign Language Learning series for ages 15-adult.
TLC went public on April 28, 1992, in an IPO led by Morgan Stanley and Robertson, Stephens & Co. From 1992 to 1995, TLC achieved 16 consecutive quarters of revenues and profits growth, never experiencing a down quarter or year. TLC's early struggles, followed by 10 consecutive years of outstanding performance, were the subject of case studies at both Harvard and Stanford universities.
In 2001, the entertainment division of Learning Co. was renamed Game Studios.
In 2006, The Learning Company became a brand of Houghton Mifflin Company, which later changed its name to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2007 following the acquisition of Harcourt Publishing. Most recently, in July 2024, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt rebranded as simply "HMH" to reflect its focus as a digital-first learning company, moving beyond its legacy as a traditional publisher. The company now provides K-12 adaptive learning solutions, including curriculum, assessment, and professional learning resources. In April 2018, The Learning Company was folded into Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
SoftKey acquisition
In December 1995, TLC was acquired by SoftKey for $606M in a hostile takeover bid, and a large percentage of the staff was fired. After the acquisition was complete, SoftKey changed its name to The Learning Company and continued to use its brand. The Learning Company née SoftKey was subsequently acquired by Mattel in August 1999.
From Wikipedia’s article on The Learning Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4