HOW BIG IS Intel?

What's Inside Has Never Mattered More

- Sandesh Bhosle

Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?” but that’s where many startups get stuck. Almost the same thing happened when ‘Intel’ co-founders Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, two well known figures in semiconductor technology, thought of creating a new firm together. The company commenced its operations with the name “NM Electronics” on July 18, 1968, but at the same time, both the founders considered a variety of portmanteaus before they found the one that clicked.

By the end of the month, they changed the name from “NM Electronics” to Intel, which stood for Integrated Electronics. However, the naming ceremony and the tension around it didn’t end there. Soon, the founders found out “Intelco” was already the name of a hotel chain in the Midwest. So, to overcome the new tension, Noyce and Moore paid $15,000 and bought the rights to use the name from that company, as it was easier than coming up with a new name that didn’t already exist.

THE EARLY DAYS

Intel’s Genesis Intel emerged from the hands of seasoned technologists, a departure from the common narrative of young founders tinkering away in garages. Robert Noyce, a co-inventor of the silicon integrated circuit, and Gordon Moore, the former head of research and development at Fairchild Semiconductor, laid Intel’s foundation. Backed by $2.5 million orchestrated by Arthur Rock, a pioneer in venture capitalism, Intel took its first steps. Joining the fray was Andrew Grove, a pivotal addition to the trio. Over the ensuing three decades, Noyce, Moore, and Grove took turns at the helm as chairman and CEO, steering the company through its formative years.

THE DAWN OF INNOVATION