Who Owns Logitech?

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Founded in 1981 in the village of Lausanne, Switzerland, Logitech was originally created by three entrepreneurs, Pierluigi Zappacosta, Giacomo Marini and Daniel Borel. It gradually expanded to the U.S., becoming the computing accessory powerhouse it is today. Some of the first products Logitech released ended up becoming industry firsts like an infrared cordless mouse or a thumb-operated trackball. These days, if you're looking for a keyboard, mouse, headset, or even something like a webcam, you'll find a host of options under the Logitech name.

Technically, no one owns Logitech. It does not have a single owner, parent company, or individual majority stakeholder, and is publicly traded under the name Logitech International S.A. Though it does have a few large institutional investors. According to Logitech's company background document (link will download a PDF to your device), its center of manufacturing is located in Suzhou, China, with "supplemental manufacturing" operations spread to other parts of the country. The company's R&D centers are located worldwide, including the U.S., Ireland, Switzerland, India, China, and Taiwan.

Logitech currently makes both consumer and business-related products, but it was originally consumer-focused, and later adapted some of its product lines for enterprise or commercial applications. The Logitech for Business group didn't officially launch until 2011. Of course, you may recognize it as the maker of the Logitech MX Master 4, one of the best productivity-focused mice on the market.

The very first Logitech mouse launched in 1982, and boy did it look strange. It resembled a half-melted snowball with three buttons slapped on the front. Called the P-4, it used "opto-mechanical technology," and introduced optical encoders built into the rollers for innovative precision. Just two years later, Logitech designed the first cordless mouse technology using IR for the Metaphor. A year after that, the C7 mouse was the first retail market product from Logitech. The C7 adopted a more rectangular shape, with three buttons, and more closely resembles the style of mouse that's common today. The rest, as they say, is history.

Interestingly, Logitech's first gaming peripheral was a joystick launched in 1994 called the WingMan. It was the company's earliest effort to deliver a gaming-exclusive device, something that is now much more common in its newest products. It's wild to see Logitech G — its advanced gaming gear — now covering racing wheels, keyboards, mice, headsets, joysticks, handheld consoles, and much more. As a whole, Logitech's arsenal of products spans a huge selection of computing, entertainment, smart home, a line of security cameras, and gaming-related categories. Though Logitech did stop making universal remotes some time ago, a decision many have never forgiven them for, myself most of all.