# Mike Harrington

> co-founder of Valve Corporation

**Wikidata**: [Q658774](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q658774)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Harrington)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mike-harrington

## Summary
Mike Harrington is an American computer scientist and programmer best known as the co-founder of Valve Corporation, the video game development and digital distribution company. Born in 1964, he co-founded Valve in 1996 with Gabe Newell after working at Microsoft. Harrington left Valve in 2000 and later worked at Picnik and Google.

## Biography
- Born: 1964
- Nationality: United States
- Education: Not specified in source material
- Known for: Co-founding Valve Corporation
- Employer(s): Microsoft (1987-1996), Valve Corporation (1996-2000), Picnik (2005-2010), Google (2010-2011)
- Field(s): Computer science, software development, video game industry

## Contributions
Mike Harrington co-founded Valve Corporation in 1996 with Gabe Newell, establishing one of the most influential companies in the video game industry. Valve became known for creating groundbreaking games like Half-Life and developing the Steam digital distribution platform, which revolutionized how PC games are distributed and sold. As a co-founder, Harrington helped shape the company's early direction and culture before leaving in 2000. His work at Valve laid the foundation for what would become a major force in gaming, employing around 330-360 people by the 2010s and generating significant industry impact through both game development and digital distribution innovations.

## FAQs
### Q: Who co-founded Valve Corporation with Mike Harrington?
A: Gabe Newell co-founded Valve Corporation with Mike Harrington in 1996.

### Q: When did Mike Harrington leave Valve Corporation?
A: Mike Harrington left Valve Corporation in 2000, approximately four years after co-founding the company.

### Q: What did Mike Harrington do after leaving Valve?
A: After leaving Valve in 2000, Harrington worked at Picnik from 2005 to 2010, then joined Google in 2010, where he stayed until 2011.

## Why They Matter
Mike Harrington's co-founding of Valve Corporation represents a significant contribution to the video game industry. Valve's innovations, particularly the Steam platform, transformed digital game distribution and created new business models for developers and publishers. The company's games, including the Half-Life series, set new standards for storytelling and gameplay in first-person shooters. Harrington's early involvement helped establish the foundation for Valve's unique corporate culture and its approach to game development, which has influenced countless other studios and companies in the gaming industry.

## Notable For
- Co-founding Valve Corporation in 1996 with Gabe Newell
- Helping establish the foundation for Steam digital distribution platform
- Contributing to the development of influential games like Half-Life
- Being part of the early team that shaped Valve's innovative corporate culture
- Transitioning from Microsoft to co-found a major independent game company

## Body
### Early Career at Microsoft
Mike Harrington worked at Microsoft from 1987 to 1996, gaining experience in software development before co-founding Valve Corporation. His time at Microsoft provided him with the technical background and industry connections that would later prove valuable in establishing Valve.

### Co-founding Valve Corporation
In 1996, Harrington co-founded Valve Corporation with Gabe Newell, another former Microsoft employee. The company was established in Bellevue, Washington, and focused on creating innovative video games and developing new approaches to game distribution.

### Valve's Early Success
Under Harrington's co-leadership, Valve developed and released Half-Life in 1998, which became a landmark first-person shooter game known for its storytelling and gameplay innovations. This success helped establish Valve as a major player in the gaming industry.

### Departure and Later Career
Harrington left Valve in 2000, four years after co-founding the company. He then worked at Picnik from 2005 to 2010, a photo editing service, before joining Google in 2010. He remained at Google until 2011, continuing his career in technology after his pioneering work in the gaming industry.

## Schema Markup
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## References

1. [Source](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehar)
2. [Source](https://en-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Mike_Harrington?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=es&_x_tr_hl=es&_x_tr_pto=tc)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013