After two years of working for U.T., Truchard realized that there was little room for promotion unless one of his coworkers retired. As he often remarks, he "didn't see a job I wanted Austin - so I created one!" Working with colleagues Jeff Kodosky and Bill Nowlin, Truchard was part of a project conducting research for the U.S. Navy that allowed them to use early computer technology to collect and analyze data. Frustrated with the inefficient data collection methods they were using, the three decided to create a product that would enable their task to be done more easily. In 1976, working in the garage at Truchard's home, the three founded National Instruments and began designing an interface board.