The Forrest Gump of Silicon Valley

This week’s guest is Leslie Berlin, the author, historian and executive director of the Steve Jobs Archive.

My first encounter with Berlin’s work happened when I picked up The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley, which is Berlin’s biography of the Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel co-founder. Noyce, of course, was many things. He co-invented the integrated circuit and reshaped the trajectory of the world in the process. He ran one of Silicon Valley’s most iconic companies. He mentored people like Steve Jobs. And he was the Valley’s first real engineer playboy star.

Berlin’s book is one of my all-time favorite reads and a wonderful example of what a biography can be.

Berlin, of course, is many things as well. She’s been one of the most influential historians when it comes to Silicon Valley and the technology industry. She used to run Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford University, and now heads up the Steve Jobs Archive. Berlin is also the author of another tremendous book - Troublemakers: Silicon Valley's Coming of Age, which chronicles the work of several people who had distinctive roles across the tech industry.

In this chat, we get into Noyce’s life and what he meant to Silicon Valley, the semiconductor industry, the fall of Intel, the Valley’s history overall and Berlin’s current work.

There’s basically no one I would rather talk to, and we’re thrilled that Berlin joined the pod.

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