The hidden monopoly behind your TI graphing calculator

On Version History: Nilay Patel and Victoria Song recount their memories of their iconic and expensive calculators.

On Version History: Nilay Patel and Victoria Song recount their memories of their iconic and expensive calculators.

by

Verge Staff

Sep 20, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC

The same calculator has been on most kids’ back to school shopping list since the early 2000’s and the dominance of Texas Instruments’ calculator division goes back even farther.

In the next episode ofVersion History,David Pierce is joined by The Verge’s Nilay Patel and Victoria Song to tell the story of TI graphing calculators and how one company managed to take over the market and never let it go.

This is the second episode of the fifth season ofVersion Historywhere we’re heading back to school. We’ve already talked about the perilous journeys ofThe Oregon Trailthat many students experienced in the computer lab and over the course of the next few weeks we’ll talk about the One Laptop Per Child, Chromebook, LeapPad, and the overhead projector.

Here’s how to get every episode as soon as it drops:

If you’re aVergesubscriber, you can alsoget access toVersion History(and all our other podcasts) with no ads. All you have to do isvisit your account settings.

If you want to know more aboutTI Graphing Calculatorhistory, here are some links to get you started:

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