Former Legendary Intel CEO Andy Grove is dead at 79
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| Andy Grove |
Andy Grove one of the most powerful business leaders in the global tech industry as the chairman and CEO of Intel, died on Monday. He was 79. The cause of death was not reported, though Grove was a longtime sufferer of Parkinson's disease.
Grove was the first hire at Intel, which was founded in 1968 by former employees of Fairchild Semiconductor. Grove joined on day one as the company's director of engineering, became Intel's president in 1979, and its CEO in 1987. He stepped aside as CEO when he developed prostate cancer, but he continued to serve as chairman of the board until 2004. During his leadership, Intel successfully transformed itself from a maker of memory chips to the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors, growing revenue from $1.9 billion to $26 billion.
During Groves' tenure as CEO, Intel produced chips including the 386 and Pentium, which became name brands unto themselves and laid the groundwork for much of the personal computing era. "Andy approached corporate strategy and leadership in ways that continue to influence prominent thinkers and companies around the world," Intel Chairman Andy Bryant said in a statement. "He combined the analytic approach of a scientist with an ability to engage others in honest and deep conversation, which sustained Intel's success over a period that saw the rise of the personal computer, the Internet and Silicon Valley."
Grove is survived by his wife, Eva, two children, and eight grandchildren.
