Robert Noyce
Robert Noyce (December 12, 1927 - June 3, 1990), nicknamed the Mayor of Silicon Valley, co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968. He is also credited (along with Jack Kilby) with the invention of the integrated circuit or microchip.It is widely known that Noyce was disliked by one-time CEO Andy Grove. Grove is notorious for his directness in finding fault. He thought Noyce's "nice guy" attitude irritating and felt it was ineffectual.
Intel's headquarters building, the Robert Noyce Building, in Santa Clara, California is named in his honor.
He graduated with a BA in physics from Grinnell College in 1949 and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1953.
He joined William Shockley at the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory division of Beckman Instruments, but left with the "Traitorous Eight" to create the influential Fairchild Semiconductor corporation.
Noyce died from heart failure in 1990, at the age of 62.