General Magic: A Story of Innovation and Vision

General Magic is a 90-minute documentary that explores the rise and fall of one of Silicon Valley’s most influential yet little-known startups. The film chronicles how General Magic’s bold ideas in the 1990s laid the groundwork for today’s mobile and connected world. Though the company itself did not succeed commercially, its culture of innovation shaped technologies that billions of people rely on today. The team included visionaries like Tony Fadell, Megan Smith, Marc Porat, Andy Rubin, Andy Hertzfeld, and Joanna Hoffman, who paved the way for many of today’s transformative communication and digital technologies. Dr. David Altounian, who worked with General Magic during this pivotal era, will introduce the film and lead a Q&A session about the lessons learned from this remarkable chapter in tech history—highlighting how visionary thinking can transform industries even when initial efforts fail.

David Altounian, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Salve Regina University. David was the CEO and co-founder of Motion Computing and has over 35 years of leading marketing and operations organizations with companies including Dell, Motorola, Compaq and Ashton-Tate. He is the co-author of the book, “Winning with Strategic Marketing: Driving Success for Startups and Small Businesses.” He is a partner at the Capital Factory, an entrepreneurial hub in Austin, Texas, and is on the board of RIHub and the Clemson Management Department Advisory Board. David earned his Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University and his M.B.A. at Northwestern University.