JMP celebrates 35 years of spectacular software on Oct. 5 (lovingly known around here as Sept. 35 – we’ll explain why later).
John Sall speaks with Diana Levey about JMP's 35th anniversary.
Founder and Chair of JMP Statistical Discovery John Sall (@John_Sall) recently sat down with Senior Marketing Director Diana Levey (@Diana_Levey) to reminisce on all the years of JMP and share his thoughts on JMP’s 35th anniversary.
“I’m so happy that we can celebrate 35 years of JMP,” Sall said. “When we started, JMP was a tiny thing that only worked on the Mac, and we made it grow and reach the world. So much of the world depends on us now, and JMP has helped with so many innovations. I’m quite proud of the team that has developed and supported JMP, and quite proud of the customers that have embraced us. Thank you all for your efforts in making JMP a success.”
The early days of JMP
When JMP first started, it took advantage of the new (at the time) graphical user interface that was pioneered on MacIntosh computers and made better use of graphics in statistical packages.
“There wasn’t a firm direction in mind, but it soon became obvious that science and engineering would be the main market,” Sall said. “This focus proved to be successful since many of these industries needed the graphical user interface that JMP delivers.”
Sall and three other employees hit the ground running. The company grew to nine employees by the time of its first release in October 1989. Now with close to 550 employees, JMP has grown in size, adding more business processes and layers, but still feels like a small company.
“I always thought we had a good thing cooking, and it has evolved in a very organic way,” Sall says. “There have been no huge surprises along the way – a lot of innovations we didn’t anticipate early on – but it’s grown a little every release and has become a significant product.”
Sall summed up JMP’s culture: “We have an attractive product and a great place to work, and so we’ve been able to attract great talent. I think people appreciate being able to work with people who are industrious and resourceful.”
Why Sept. 35?
It may sound funny (and it’s part of what gives JMP’s culture the quirkiness we love) that we celebrate JMP’s anniversary on Sept. 35. Sall explained the reasoning for the peculiar date. “When we unveiled JMP at the SAS Users Group, we promised it in the third quarter. We missed it by a few days, so we added a few days to September to make it work in the third quarter.”
Ways to share about JMP’s 35th anniversary
We've created JMP 35 resources for you to use on social media, including a JMP-branded social media tile and an external version of the John Sall interview video.
We want to hear from you and see your posts on social media celebrating JMP’s 35th anniversary! In these posts, make sure to tag @JMP and use the hashtag #JMP35. Here are ways you can shout out JMP:
- Share a favorite story or memory from your time working at JMP (even better if you include pictures to accompany your story).
- Give a reason why you love JMP software. What significant discovery have you made? How has JMP revolutionized the way you work? (This one is especially relevant for those who worked in an industry before joining the JMP family.)
- Tell us why you enjoy working for JMP as a company. Is it the people? The mission? The benefits?
- Share how you’re spending your Rest and Recharge Day on Friday, Oct. 4, and tell us about JMP’s commitment to employee well-being.
- Share pictures from your own local JMP 35th celebration!
