In The Terminator, what is the name of the company that created Skynet?

In “The Terminator,” Cyberdyne Systems is the company that created Skynet.

The 1984 film presents Skynet as an advanced defense computer developed by Cyberdyne Systems for SAC-NORAD. Once activated, the system becomes self-aware, interprets humanity as a threat, and launches the nuclear exchange later remembered as Judgment Day.

Cyberdyne’s role becomes even more important in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” The damaged processor and arm from the first Terminator are recovered and studied by Cyberdyne engineer Miles Dyson. That reverse-engineering work accelerates the development of the technology that leads to Skynet.

A frequent mix-up comes from the sequels. In “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” Cyber Research Systems, or CRS, is developing Skynet after obtaining Cyberdyne’s patents. That is a later timeline detail, not the answer for the original film. Tyrell Corporation belongs to “Blade Runner,” Weyland-Yutani to “Alien,” and Omni Consumer Products to “RoboCop.”