The technology world has suffered a grave loss as Andy Grove, who served as the former CEO and chairman of Intel, passed away on Monday. He was 79 and was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, but the cause of death has not been reported yet.
Andrew Grove aka ‘Andy’ Grove was the first hire at the American technology giant company which was founded in 1968. Being a science pioneer in the semiconductor industry, Andy Grove escaped from Communist-controlled Hungary at the age of 20 and moved to the United States where he finished his education with a Ph.D. in Chemical engineering.
Grove joined Intel as the company’s director of engineering, became Intel’s president in 1979, and its CEO in 1987. Later, he served as chairman of the Board from 1997 to 2005.
Leading a big tech giant like Intel, Grove helped transform the company into the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors. He earned a reputation as one of the smartest thinkers in Silicon Valley and made Intel a rare company that continued to grow after dramatically altering its core business. During his tenure as CEO, Grove oversaw a 4,500% increase in Intel’s market capitalisation from $4 billion to $197 billion, making it the world’s 7th largest company.
His book on semiconductors ‘Physics and Technology of Semiconductor Devices’ and the one on business operation methods ‘High Output Management’ have been used as references by various personnel.
A tech legend who transformed the face of the enormous Intel leaving a mark for its progress, Andy Grove has been honoured by all his acquaintances worldwide.