Andrew Grove

Andrew Grove

Andrew Stephen ("Andy") Grove (born 2 September 1936), is a Hungarian-born American businessman, engineer, and author. He is a science pioneer in the semiconductor industry. He escaped from Communist-controlled Hungary at the age of 20 and moved to the United States where he finished his education. He later became CEO of Intel Corporation and helped transform the company into the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductors.

In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore co-founded Intel, after they and Andrew Grove left Fairchild Semiconductor. Andrew Grove joined on the day of its incorporation, although was not a founder according to the company. He became the start-up company's chief operating officer (COO), where he directed all management functions, and in 1987 became its chief executive officer (CEO). During his tenure as CEO, Grove oversaw an increase in Intel's stock value by 2,400%, making it one of the world's most valuable companies. With Grove managing development and promotion of Intel's microprocessors, they would, in the 1980s, be used to power all IBM PCs as well as those of IBM's competitors.

As a result of his work at Intel, and from his books and professional articles, Grove had a considerable influence on the management of modern electronics manufacturing industries worldwide. He has been called the "guy who drove the growth phase" of Silicon Valley. Steve Jobs, when he was considering returning to be Apple's CEO, called Grove, who was someone he "idolized," for his personal advice. One source notes that by his accomplishments at Intel alone, he "merits a place alongside the great business leaders of the 20th century."

He has received numerous industry awards, including the IEEE Engineering Leadership Recognition award (1987), and the AeA Medal of Achievement award (1993). In 1997, CEO magazine chose him as its "CEO of the Year," and Time magazine made him "Man of the Year."