"Optimism is an essential ingredient of innovation. How else can the individual welcome change over security, adventure over staying in safe places?"
These words by Robert N. Noyce embody the philosophy by which he lived. He was a technologist, an entrepreneur, and an industry statesman.
As a technologist, he was the co-inventor of the integrated circuit and the holder of numerous patents. As an entrepreneur, he was a co-founder of both Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel Corporation, and an investor and advisor in several other companies. And, as an industry statesman, Bob helped found the Semiconductor Industry Association, was a Regent of the University of California, served on the President's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, and was the first Chief Executive Officer of SEMATECH.
There was also another side to Bob beyond his public stature and acclaim. He flew planes, sang madrigals, and skied treacherous slopes. He was a tinkerer, an athlete, a husband and father, and a true visionary. To honor this unique legacy, the Noyce family created the Robert Noyce Foundation.
Learn more about the life of Robert Noyce at the Intel Museum's permanent exhibit "Robert Noyce, A Life Celebrated" located in Intel's Robert Noyce Building, Santa Clara, California.
You can also read about Robert Noyce in Leslie Berlin's book, The Man Behind the Microchip.
