Sometimes a T-shirt is not just a T-shirt, Jack Tramiel

Check out a darkly humorous and very obscure piece of MOS Technology's history...

I recently saw this T-shirt offered on eBay:

I was intrigued by its design and by the description of the item, so I struck up a conversation with the seller, who turned out to be ex-MOS / CBM employee Rick Simpson. Rick was the product manager for KIM-1 products in 1976 and was part of MOS Technology when it was acquired by CBM, over 40 years ago. The more Rick told me, the more interesting the story got, and I purchased the shirt because of the story it told. I’m a sucker for untold history, especially of the 8-bit CBM variety! And, of course, Dr. Evil Labs feels a close connection to MOS / CSG, since we purchased many 6582s and 6551As from them.

Rick included a summary of the story behind the shirt, and with his permission, I have uploaded a scan of it for your reading pleasure. I love the title: “Secret Defiance at MOS”. Many thanks to Rick for sharing this story so that it is not lost to history.

Do you know of any other interesting stories like this, especially ones not already told in places like Brian Bagnall’s book Commodore: A Company on the Edge? If so, please share!