All people
Transistor era (1947-1959)
William Shockley
1910-1989
Co-invented the transistor; founded Shockley Semiconductor in 1955.
Contributions
- 01Led the Bell Labs transistor team and developed the junction transistor theory.
- 02Moved to Mountain View in 1955, hiring the best young PhDs.
- 03His abrasive management style led to the famous mass resignation in September 1957.
Why it matters for silicon valley origins
Shockley's lab concentrated talent in Santa Clara Valley. Its collapse directly created Fairchild, which became the DNA of Silicon Valley.