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1 man semi companirs, do they still exist today?

Paul2

Well-known member
Outside of the fabrication space, does anybody have an account of somebody succesfully working in semi soace alone? Whether it is individual IP selling, hdl outsourcing, niche consulting, specialist service for fabrication, or working as a fabless?
 
Outside of the fabrication space, does anybody have an account of somebody succesfully working in semi soace alone? Whether it is individual IP selling, hdl outsourcing, niche consulting, specialist service for fabrication, or working as a fabless?
WDC doesn’t seem too far off this description - they still sell versions of the 6502 for embedded systems.. related IP and core type work, primarily from the efforts of Bill Mensch:

 
I think eFabless was a 1 man show for a while? Bob Widlar designed analog circuits for Fairchild and National that are still everywhere today; he cashed out and did some consulting from Mexico. Richard Modaferri designed legendary tuners for McIntosh and now just does his own thing, filing patents and providing widely acclaimed "Modaferri mods" as a service for collectors.

So perhaps the keys are talent, work ethic, too crazy for corporations, but having earned windfall profits from said corporations.

That last part doesn't seem to happen for engineers anymore compared to the era of BW and RM. Sickos like Pat Gelsinger would rather take those profits and tamp them down the gullets of parasitic shareholders.
 
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