Philippe Kahn — tech (camera phone) with roots in the Empire
Philippe Kahn is a French-American entrepreneur who founded Borland International (the maker of Turbo Pascal and Lotus competitor Quattro Pro) and later invented the camera phone in 1997 — photographing the birth of his daughter and instantly sharing it. He is one of Silicon Valley's most colourful pioneering figures.
Tracing the roots — Paris (Rus/Jew)
His mother C. Langwell was a Russian-Jewish violinist — part of the Eastern European Jewish musical diaspora. Growing up in Paris with this Russian-Jewish musical heritage before building a technology career in Silicon Valley, Kahn combined the creative intensity of his mother's world with the engineering drive of Silicon Valley.
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Paris (Rus/Jew). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"I invented the camera phone so the world could share moments instantly. I had no idea what that would become."