John Hennessy is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and academic known for his significant contributions to computer architecture. He co-developed the RISC architecture, which revolutionized modern computing by enabling faster and more efficient processors. Hennessy served as the president of Stanford University from 2000 to 2016 and later co-founded MIPS Computer Systems and Atheros Communications. Currently, he serves on the board of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and is chair of the board of Alphabet.

John received the 2017 Turing Award “for pioneering a systematic, quantitative approach to the design and evaluation of computer architectures with enduring impact on the microprocessor industry.”

In this episode he joins Kevin Ball to talk about his life and career.