Pitney Bowes Inc. is an American technology company most known for its postage meters and other mailing equipment and services, and with expansions into e-commerce, software, and other technologies. The company was founded by Arthur Pitney, who invented the first commercially available postage meter, and Walter Bowes as the Pitney Bowes Postage Meter Company on April 23, 1920. The company provides mailing and shipping services, global e-commerce logistics, and financial services to approximately 750,000 customers globally, as of 2021. Pitney Bowes is a certified "work-share partner" of the United States Postal Service, and helps the agency sort and process 15 billion pieces of mail annually. Pitney Bowes has also commissioned surveys related to international e-commerce. Pitney Bowes is based in Stamford, Connecticut and as of October 2021 employed approximately 11,000 people worldwide.