Considered by some a racist, “The father of Silicon Valley” was an American born in London who won the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics. Stanford professor William Shockley’s attempts to comercialise his transistor design led to him being credited as “the man who brought silicon to Silicon Valley” but by the time he died of prostate cancer he was estranged from most of his friends and family. The children of this staunch advocate of eugenics are reported to have only learnt of his death through the print media.
Two stories to keep beside you
Jules Bianchi (1989 – 2015)
The Stirling Moss of his generation was tragically taken in his prime aged just 25.
Evan Spiegel
This Stanford graduate supposedly turned down an offer of $3 billion for his “wildly popular” Snapchat app in November 2013 despite his operation having no revenue. A Pacific Palisades resident, Spiegel serves on President Obama’s Council on Technology & Media and “likes to surf and play with his Golden Retriever in his free time”. The […]
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2 comments
A nasty piece of work by all accounts. He may have been clever but his cruelty and Hiterlike beliefs are despicable.
He won the Nobel Peace Price in 1956, hardly Dutchman Hendrik Verwoerd architect of apartheid. He comes from a different time and place in history, a different school of thought. He was an achiever,he had a mission and a vision, he was not a drug runner or a London gang member. I cannot see where Hitler comes into all of this…..