What was the first company to use the term "Golden Master"?

The answer is Apple as they were the first company to use the term "Golden Master." Golden Master originally referred to the final version of software or firmware that was ready to be distributed or replicated. Apple introduced this term in the late 1970s for their Apple II computers and it later became widely adopted in the software industry. The Golden Master designation indicates that the software has undergone extensive testing and is considered to be the definitive version for release.