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Robert Noyce

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Inventor

The Resume

    (December 12, 1927-June 3, 1990)
    Born in Burlington, Iowa
    He and Jack Kilby independently invented the integrated circuit
    Co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor (1957) and Intel (1968)
    Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (1983)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was suspended from Grinnell College for a semester after stealing a pig from the mayor and roasting it at a luau.
    He sketched out a design for the integrated circuit, then left his notes in a drawer and forgot about them until Kilby and Texas Instruments announced they had built a working prototype, at which point Noyce and Fairchild's lawyers rushed to claim a patent on the concept.
    He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.
    His first marriage collapsed after his daughter discovered him in bed with an Intel employee (who became his second wife).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He won the Midwest Conference championship in diving (1948).
    He was nicknamed 'Rapid Robert' for his quick mind.
    He established a relaxed and egalitarian corporate culture at Fairchild and Intel that set the tone for Silicon Valley.
    He was known as 'the Mayor of Silicon Valley,' having served as a mentor for many of its entrepreneurs, notably Steve Jobs.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 18 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying