Larry Tesler
Computer scientist who invented cut, copy and paste
- Lived
- 74 yrs
- 1945 – 2020
- Works listed
- 1
- Text editor
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Larry Tesler was an American computer scientist who, at Xerox PARC, helped create modeless text editing and the cut, copy and paste commands used on every computer. He later worked on the Apple Lisa, Macintosh and Newton, and at Amazon and Yahoo!. He died in 2020.
Biography
Background
Tesler studied at Stanford, worked at its AI lab and campaigned against “modes” in software, where the same key does different things.
Xerox PARC
At PARC from 1973 he and Tim Mott built Gypsy, a word processor that introduced cut, copy and paste and point-and-click selection.
Apple
Tesler joined Apple in 1980 after Steve Jobs’s PARC visit, working on the Lisa and Macintosh and leading the Newton handheld. He was Apple’s chief scientist.
Later
He worked at Amazon on its shopping experience and at Yahoo!. He died in February 2020.
Timeline
-
1945
Born in The Bronx, New York, United States
-
1973
Joins Xerox PARC
-
1975
Gypsy editor
-
1980
Joins Apple
-
1983
Apple Lisa
-
1993
Apple Newton
-
2001
Joins Amazon
-
2020
Dies
-
2020
Died, aged 74
Notable works
-
1975
Gypsy Text editor
With Tim Mott.
Did you know?
-
1
His car number plate read “NO MODES”.
-
2
He coined “Tesler’s law” of conservation of complexity.
-
3
He showed Steve Jobs’s team Smalltalk at PARC in 1979.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Larry Tesler?
Larry Tesler was an American computer scientist who, at Xerox PARC, helped create modeless text editing and the cut, copy and paste commands used on every computer. He later worked on the Apple Lisa, Macintosh and Newton, and at Amazon and Yahoo!. He died in 2020.
When did Larry Tesler die?
Larry Tesler died on 16 February 2020 at the age of 74.
Where is Larry Tesler from?
Larry Tesler was born in The Bronx, New York, United States.
What is Larry Tesler known for?
Larry Tesler is best known for Cut, copy and paste; modeless editing; Gypsy editor; Apple Lisa and Newton.
References
- Larry Tesler — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. www.nomodes.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Larry Tesler (Q1052709) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Larry Tesler”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Larry Tesler.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/larry-tesler
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