Why OLPC’s $100 laptop never stood a chance

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/VRG_VRH_Site_2.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The idea was big, exciting, and inspiring: What if we could get every kid in the world access to a computer? For a bunch of thinkers and executives in Silicon Valley, it felt like the way to fix everything. But the One Laptop Per Child initiative, and the XO-1 laptop designed to be given away, were both more complicated than anyone expected.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the next episode of <a href="https://pod.link/1840983742"><em>Version History,</em></a> David Pierce is joined by <em>The Verge</em>'s Adi Robertson and tech journalist David Imel to figure out why OLPC didn't work, whether there's anything to learn from the XO-1's innovative design, and if this kind of computer giveaway could ever succeed.</p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="200" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=VMP9466976307" width="100%"></iframe> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">We're halfway t …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/podcast/1000517/why-olpcs-100-laptop-never-stood-a-chance">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>