Definition of FUD

What does the term "FUD" mean? What is the definition of the term "FUD"?

FUD stands for:

Fear
Uncertainty
Doubt

Some people will substitute "Disinformation" for "Doubt".

The term is most commonly used to describe big companies that use "FUD" to cast doubt on smaller competitors in an effort to eliminate their competition. The term is most commonly associated with technology companies, though the concept extends to any industry.





The term was first brought popularized by Gene Amdahl in 1975. Amdahl left IBM to start his own company, Amdahl Corp., and alleged that IBM salespeople were using FUD to spread disinformation about his company's product in order not to lose any business.

Microsoft really helped to popularize the term "FUD", as they reportedly used it to great effect to squash their competition in the '80s and '90s. In an ironic twist, Microsoft spread "FUD" about IBM's operating system, OS/2, which resulted in Windows 3.1 clearly winning the operating system war.

In this day and age, the term "FUD" is commonly used by Tesla supporters to describe the so-called "disinformation" that is spread about their company. These Tesla backers claim that oil companies and short-sellers are conspiring to spread FUD about the company in an attempt to destroy Tesla.

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