Lip-Bu Tan is CEO of Intel Corporation and the Founder and Chairman of Walden International, a pioneering venture capital firm he built from $3 million to $5 billion. He previously served as CEO of Cadence Design Systems (2009–2021), engineering a legendary turnaround that delivered approximately 4000% shareholder returns. Born in Malaysia and educated at MIT (nuclear engineering) and University of San Francisco (MBA), he has invested in 500+ companies, achieved 105+ IPOs, and created an estimated 50,000 jobs in America alone. He has received the semiconductor industry's highest honours including the Robert N. Noyce Award (2022) and Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award (2016).
I subscribe to a simple philosophy: Stay humble. Work hard. Delight our customers. Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room; it's about bringing out the best in others. I learned to be humble. I may not be the smartest one in the room, but I surround myself with people who are much smarter than me, and I've learned from them.
When I was at MIT, my dean told me to keep my eyes open and take calculated risks; I treasure that throughout my life. This wisdom shaped my contrarian approach to venture investing. I named Walden International after Thoreau's Walden to embody a "contrarian rather than just following the trend" philosophy.
Don't focus simply on meeting customers' requirements. The goal should be to delight the customer. Go the extra mile to offer solutions to real problems. If you do that, the numbers will take care of themselves. I feel the responsibility for the industry. I do what I do for three reasons: for the employee, for the shareholder, and for the industry.
