Amar Bose was born in 1929 in Philadelphia to a Bengali father and an American mother. Though raised far from India, his early years were marked by curiosity and a hands-on approach to learning. He spent hours fixing radios, not just to help his family financially, but because he was drawn to the science behind sound.
As a teenager, Bose began repairing electronics to support his household. That work would prove formative. His interest in electronics wasn’t just academic—it was practical, grounded, and personal.
He went on to study electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But it was a frustrating experience with a high-end speaker system that shifted his focus. Dissatisfied with the quality of the product, he began questioning how sound reproduction could be improved—not just louder, but clearer and more lifelike.
In 1964, Amar Bose founded Bose Corporation. His goal wasn’t mass-market appeal; it was to solve real acoustic problems through research. Over time, the company developed key innovations, including noise-canceling headphones and acoustically precise speaker systems. These weren’t marketing gimmicks—they were rooted in engineering.
Amar Bose passed away in 2013. Before his death, he made a notable decision: he donated most of his shares in the company to MIT. While the shares do not come with voting rights or control over the company, the dividends support MIT’s research and education.
Today, Bose Corporation remains privately held and continues its research-driven approach to sound. Amar Bose’s original question—how to make audio better—still guides the company’s work.
