AutoTester
AutoTester was a Dallas-based software company and brand associated with early commercial test-automation tools for personal computers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
AutoTester was a software company active in the early commercial test-automation market. The business was founded in Dallas, Texas, by Randy Hayes and was associated with the Software Recording Corporation of America, commonly abbreviated as SRCA. Sources describe SRCA as having been established in 1984, while AutoTester itself is generally dated to 1985. The company developed tools intended to automate software testing by recording and replaying user interactions and test procedures, an approach that helped organizations perform repeatable checks without manually executing every test case. AutoTester’s best-known offerings were AutoTester and AutoMentor. The company claimed that its products included the first commercial test tool for the personal computer, a claim that places the brand among the early vendors in the history of desktop software test automation. The available historical material does not provide a complete technical specification of the products, but it identifies them as flagship offerings and places the company in the formative period of automated testing, before the market consolidated around larger enterprise software vendors. Randy Hayes was later joined by his sister Linda Hayes in leading the business. In 1994, Randy and Linda Hayes left AutoTester and established Worksoft, Inc. with their brother Ron Hayes and Gene Jones, who had also worked at AutoTester. Worksoft subsequently became a significant provider of test automation for enterprise resource planning and other business applications, creating an important link between AutoTester’s early software-testing activities and the later development of enterprise-focused automation products. AutoTester reportedly reached approximately $14 million in annual revenue by 1996. This figure is a historical revenue claim and does not represent a current financial disclosure. After 1996, the company’s revenues reportedly declined. By June 2007 or earlier, its telephone number had been disconnected, and its website was taken offline in July 2007. The available reference material therefore supports treating AutoTester as defunct, although the precise legal date of closure and any successor ownership arrangements are not documented in the supplied sources. AutoTester’s historical importance rests less on its later corporate scale than on its place in the early software test-automation market. It helped commercialize automated testing for personal-computer software at a time when testing was still heavily dependent on manual procedures. Its products and former employees also form part of the lineage of later test-automation businesses, particularly Worksoft. The record available for the brand is limited, and detailed information about product releases, customer sectors, international operations, management titles, and corporate transactions has not been established.
History
AutoTester emerged during the early development of commercial software test automation for personal computers. The business was connected to the Software Recording Corporation of America, or SRCA, which Randy Hayes founded in 1984. AutoTester is generally dated to 1985 and was based in Dallas, Texas. The company’s products were designed to automate portions of software testing, particularly the repetitive execution of scripted interactions that would otherwise have to be performed manually. The company’s flagship products were AutoTester and AutoMentor. Historical accounts associate the business with a claim to having produced the first commercial test tool for the PC. Although the available material does not establish the claim independently or provide a full product chronology, it places AutoTester among the earliest commercial participants in the personal-computer test-automation sector. Its work contributed to the broader shift from manual software verification toward repeatable, tool-assisted testing. Randy Hayes led the company and was later joined by his sister Linda Hayes. In 1994, both left AutoTester. They subsequently founded Worksoft, Inc. with their brother Ron Hayes and Gene Jones, another former AutoTester employee. Worksoft later became known for test automation serving enterprise resource planning and related business software, making the AutoTester alumni network relevant to the subsequent history of enterprise test automation. AutoTester reportedly generated about $14 million in annual revenue by 1996. After that point, its revenues began to decline. The supplied references do not explain whether the decline resulted from competition, changes in testing technology, management decisions, or other market conditions. They also do not document a sale, merger, formal bankruptcy, or a specific dissolution date. By June 2007 or earlier, the company’s telephone number was disconnected, and its website was taken offline in July 2007. These signs indicate that the operating business had ended or become inactive by that period. AutoTester is therefore best understood as a defunct early software-testing brand rather than a current operating vendor. Its historical significance comes from its position in the first generation of commercial PC test-automation tools and from the later founding of Worksoft by several former AutoTester principals and employees. Information about customers, offices beyond Dallas, detailed product versions, pricing, ownership, and formal legal status remains unavailable in the cited material.
- 2007
Public operating presence disappears
[1]The company telephone number was reportedly disconnected by June or earlier, and its website was taken offline in July.
- 1996
Reported annual revenue reaches approximately $14 million
[1]Historical material reports annual revenue of approximately $14 million by 1996; revenue later declined.
- 1994
Randy and Linda Hayes depart
[1]Randy and Linda Hayes left AutoTester and went on to establish Worksoft with Ron Hayes and Gene Jones.
- 1985
AutoTester is established
[1]AutoTester was founded in Dallas, Texas, and entered the emerging commercial software test-automation market.
- 1984
Software Recording Corporation of America is founded
[1]Randy Hayes founded the Software Recording Corporation of America, the corporate entity associated with the later AutoTester brand.
Products and positioning
An early commercial software test-automation provider focused on making repeatable testing available for personal-computer software.
Software test automation · 1985
AutoTester
AutoTester was the company’s principal software test-automation product and one of its flagship offerings. It was associated with the early commercial market for PC testing tools and with the use of automated recording and replay of software interactions. The available historical sources do not identify individual versions, supported platforms, pricing, or a precise discontinuation date.
Software test automation
AutoMentor
AutoMentor was another flagship product associated with SRCA and AutoTester. It formed part of the company’s early software-testing portfolio, which aimed to make repetitive test execution more systematic and less dependent on manual work. Detailed product documentation and release history are not established in the supplied references.
Brand decisions
1994
Founders leave to create WorksoftStrategyBackground
Randy and Linda Hayes left AutoTester during the company’s operating history, together with the subsequent involvement of their brother Ron Hayes and former AutoTester employee Gene Jones.
Action taken
The group established Worksoft, a separate software company that later focused on enterprise and ERP test automation.
Aftermath
Worksoft later became a recognized provider in enterprise test automation, while AutoTester’s revenues reportedly declined after 1996.
Recent events
- 2007
AutoTester telephone and website become unavailable[1]
Other
The company telephone number was reportedly disconnected by June 2007 or earlier, and the website was taken offline in July 2007.
- 1996
AutoTester reaches approximately $14 million in annual revenue[1]
Other
Historical reference material reports that AutoTester achieved about $14 million in annual revenue by 1996. Revenue subsequently declined.
- 1994
AutoTester founders leave and establish Worksoft[1]
Leadership change
Randy and Linda Hayes departed AutoTester and founded Worksoft with Ron Hayes and former AutoTester employee Gene Jones.
Sources3 sources
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