Robert Noyce

Cofounder, Intel

Search every verified Robert Noyce interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a rare interview, Robert Noyce, vice chairman of Intel and a pioneer of the integrated circuit, discussed the impact of inexpensive computing power. He argued that concerns about technology making people "morons" were similar to fears that the steam engine would turn people into "jellyfish," and stated that such tools have enhanced lives. Noyce predicted that future communications and computer power would allow people to work remotely, enabling them to "live where it is conducive to live, not where it is conducive to work," as most work involves knowledge rather than physical materials. In a 1984 lecture marking the 25th anniversary of the integrated circuit, Noyce reviewed the technology's development from the 1950s. He noted that early challenges included low transistor yields and market opposition from engineers who feared losing their jobs. Noyce described the trend of increasing complexity, referencing "Moore's curve," and projected that within a decade it would be possible to place between 100 million and a billion transistors on a single chip, adding that "the sky is still the limit" for what can be imagined for the technology.