From Auschwitz to Atari: The Jack Tramiel Story

Sam Tramiel in Conversation with Matt Apfel: the story of his father, Jack Tramiel — Holocaust survivor, immigrant, and tech pioneer.

Jack Tramiel survived the Łódź Ghetto and Auschwitz, was liberated in 1945, and later immigrated to the United States. He became one of the defining figures of the early personal-computer revolution, founding Commodore and later leading Atari during a pivotal moment in its history. Under his leadership, these companies helped launch technologies and forms of entertainment that would shape a global industry and influence how generations work, play, and connect.

He was instrumental in advancing Holocaust remembrance and education, including playing a significant role in supporting the establishment of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and as a founding supporter of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

In this intimate conversation with Matt Apfel, Sam Tramiel, who himself went on to lead Atari and work alongside his father, reflects on Jack Tramiel’s extraordinary journey—from survival to innovation—and on what it means to carry a story and a legacy into the next generation.