In 1958 Jack kilby laid the foundation for what would eventually become an industry with yearly revenues topping 350 billion dollars.
While working for Texas Instruments, he designed a semi-conductor using a piece of germanium and an oscilloscope that produced a constant sine wave, which ultimately became the first integrated circuit.
Jack kilby himself raised a family and lived a comfortable life.
T.R. REID: No, Jack was perfectly comfortable middle class, but he never became a zillionaire out of this. You know what? I don't think he cared. Jack was an engineer. He defined an engineer as a person who solves problems. He knew at the end of his life that he had solved a crucially important engineering problem and for him that was more important than money.
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