The Intel Trinity

The definitive history of the Intel Corporation—the essential company of the digital age—told through the lives of its three preeminent figures: Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove

Intel has often been hailed as the most important company in the world, and with good reason: While technology companies come and go, Intel remains, more than four decades after its inception, a defining company of the global digital economy. The legendary inventor of the microprocessor—the single most significant product in the modern world—Intel today builds the tiny "engines" that power almost every intelligent electronic device on the planet.

But the true story of Intel is the human story of the three geniuses behind it. In The Intel Trinity, Michael S. Malone takes an unflinching look at the strengths and weaknesses each member of the trio has brought to Intel, and how, without the perfect balance, the company would never have reached its current level of success. Robert Noyce, the most respected high- tech figure of his generation, brought credibility (and money) to the company's founding; Gordon Moore made Intel the world's technological leader; and Andy Grove relentlessly drove the company to ever-higher levels of success and competitiveness. Without any one of these figures, Intel would never have achieved its historic success; with them, Intel made possible the personal computer, the Internet, telecommunications, and the personal electronics revolution.

Based on unprecedented access to corporate archives, The Intel Trinity reveals the fascinating stories behind the company's ubiquitous products and the unique business practices—including a willingness to commit to new ideas, an initiative to make bold investments in lean times, and a devotion to upholding Gordon Moore's namesake law—that led Intel to consistent success unheard of elsewhere in the tech world.

The Intel Trinity is not just the story of Intel's legendary past; it is also an analysis of the formidable challenges that lie ahead as the company struggles to maintain its dominance, its culture, and its legacy.