Larry Tesler, Computer Scientist behind 'cut-copy-paste' dies at 74

Mr Tesler started working in Silicon Valley in the 1960s, when computers were mostly inaccessible to people. Through his work, he helped change that.

Xerox, the company with which Mr Tesler spent part of his career, paid tribute to him on Twitter following his death.

“The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more, was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler,” the company tweeted. “Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas.”

The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler. Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas. Larry passed away Monday, so please join us in celebrating him. Photo credit: Yahoo CC-By-2.0 https://t.co/MXijSIMgoA pic.twitter.com/kXfLFuOlon

— Xerox (@Xerox) February 19, 2020

Mr Tesler was born in the Bronx, New York. He went on to attend Stanford University. He first worked at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center before Steve Jobs poached him for Apple where he spent 17 years.

In 2012, he told the BBC of Silicon Valley: “There’s almost a rite of passage – after you’ve made some money, you don’t just retire, you spend your time funding other companies.

“There’s a very strong element of excitement, of being able to share what you’ve learned with the next generation.”

May he rest in peace.