Jack Tramiel, a Polish Jew originally from Łódź and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, emigrated to the United States in November 1947.

Fascinated by military life, he joined the American army in 1948, serving as a cook until 1950.

After his discharge, he began working at the "Ace Typewriter Repair Company," where he learned the art of typewriter repair.

He returned to the army briefly in 1951, this time as a typewriter repairman, and remained there until 1952.

After his final discharge, he resumed work at the same company, where he met Manfred "Manny" Kapp. Together, in 1954, they founded the Commodore Portable Typewriter Company, a small typewriter sales and repair business located in a storefront in the Bronx.

To supplement his salary, Tramiel also worked as a taxi driver at night.

The name "Commodore", which in Italian translates to "commodore", an official rank of navy, was chosen by Tramiel to reflect his passion for the military world. He explained that he chose this grade because the higher grades had already been used by other companies, and inspiration came to him during a trip to West Germany, where he saw a car called the Opel Commodore

The 1980s
In 1981, Commodore revolutionized the home computer market with the launch of the VIC-20. This computer, featuring advanced graphics and sound for its time, was also a success thanks to its ability to connect directly to a television and its presence in shopping malls, a result of an aggressive marketing strategy.

A year later, in 1982, Commodore introduced the Commodore 64, destined to become the best-selling computer in history. With increased memory capacity and new graphics and sound processors, the C64 far surpassed subsequent models in the 264 series, which failed to replicate the same success.

In 1985, to counter the failure of the 264 series, Commodore introduced the Commodore 128, with significant improvements such as the 80-column display and CP/M compatibility.

Despite the new model, the Commodore 64 continued to dominate sales. In the same year, Commodore also expanded into the IBM PC compatible market and began the development of the Commodore Amiga, destined to redefine the concept of personal computers.

The 1990s
The multinational began to lose ground in the early 1990s. Incorrect management choices, focused on reducing costs to the detriment of quality, and ineffective marketing strategies, led Commodore to closure in April 1994.