Broadcom vs Roche: Founders, CEOs and History
Broadcom was founded in 1991 by Henry Samueli, Henry Nicholas III and is led by Hock Tan. Roche was founded in 1896 by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche and is led by Thomas Schinecker.
Company facts
Founders
Broadcom
Henry Samueli
Henry Samueli co-founded Broadcom Corporation in Los Angeles in 1991 with Henry Nicholas III, his former doctoral student, and served as its chief technical officer while the company built chips for cable modems, set-top boxes, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Henry Nicholas III
Henry Nicholas III co-founded Broadcom Corporation with Samueli in 1991 and was its president and CEO through the cable modem boom, the April 1998 IPO and a string of stock-funded acquisitions in 1999 and 2000. He resigned in January 2003.
Roche
Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche
Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche (1868-1920) founded F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. in Basel on 1 October 1896, at age 28.
CEOs and their tenures
Broadcom
- Henry Samueli1991–present
Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board
Henry Samueli co-founded Broadcom Corporation in 1991 and, as chief technical officer, led the engineering behind its cable modem, Ethernet and Wi-Fi chips. He joined the board after Avago bought Broadcom Corporation in 2016 and is chairman of Broadcom Inc.
Source - Henry Nicholas III1991–2003
Co-Founder; President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation
Henry Nicholas III ran Broadcom Corporation from its founding through its April 1998 IPO and the dot-com boom, then resigned in January 2003. Backdating and drug charges brought against him in 2008 were dismissed in December 2009 and January 2010.
Source - Scott McGregor2005–2016
President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation
Scott McGregor led Broadcom Corporation from 2005 until Avago completed its $37 billion acquisition in February 2016, a period when the company expanded in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, set-top box and data center switch chips.
Source - Hock Tan2006–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Hock E. Tan became CEO of Avago Technologies in March 2006 and has run the company through its acquisitions of LSI (2014), Broadcom Corporation (2016), Brocade (2017), CA Technologies (2018), Symantec's enterprise business (2019) and VMware (2023).
Source - Kirsten Spears2020–2026
Chief Financial Officer
Kirsten Spears was CFO for about six years of her 12 years at Broadcom, covering the VMware financing and the AI-driven growth of 2024 and 2025. She retired on 12 June 2026 and agreed to advise the company for nine months.
Source - Amie Thuener2026–present
Chief Financial Officer
Amie Thuener joined Broadcom as CFO on 12 June 2026 from Alphabet, where she had been vice president, corporate controller and chief accounting officer since 2018, after an earlier career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Source
Roche
- Severin Schwan2008–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Serving as CEO from 2008 to 2023, he cemented Roche's absolute dominance in global oncology and highly advanced diagnostics before moving to Chairman of the Board.
Source - Thomas Schinecker2023–present
Chief Executive Officer
Under Schinecker, Roche returned to growth after the COVID testing decline: 2025 sales rose 7% at constant rates to ~$73.8 billion (CHF 61.5 billion) and 12 late-stage studies read out positively that year.
Source
Timeline: Broadcom and Roche side by side
1896Roche
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Founded in Basel
Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche founds the enterprise in Basel, Switzerland, pioneering mass-manufactured, chemically standardized prescription pharmaceuticals.
1898Roche
Commercial Breakthrough with Sirolin
Roche launches non-prescription cough syrup Sirolin, achieving widespread international distribution and financing early clinical laboratories.
1934Roche
First Industrial Synthesis of Vitamin C
Roche becomes the first company to mass-produce synthetic Vitamin C (Redoxon) at industrial scale, anchoring decades of high-margin global cash flow.
1963Roche
Launch of Valium (Diazepam)
Roche introduces Valium, which becomes the world's most widely prescribed psychotropic medication and establishes global pharmaceutical leadership.
1968Roche
Establishment of Roche Diagnostics
Roche launches its dedicated diagnostic division, laying the foundation to become the world's preeminent in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) provider.
1991Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation founded
UCLA professor Henry Samueli and his former doctoral student Henry Nicholas III found Broadcom Corporation in Los Angeles to build broadband communications chips in CMOS, starting with chips for cable modems and digital set-top boxes.
1998Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation IPO
Broadcom Corporation lists on Nasdaq in April 1998 at $24 a share, as cable operators roll out DOCSIS cable modems built on its chips.
2005Broadcom
Avago Technologies formed
KKR and Silver Lake buy Agilent Technologies' semiconductor products group, whose roots go back to Hewlett-Packard's chip operations, for about $2.66 billion and name it Avago Technologies.
2006Broadcom
Hock Tan becomes CEO of Avago
Hock Tan becomes president and CEO of Avago in March 2006 and begins pruning its portfolio to the businesses with defensible technology.
2008Roche
Severin Schwan becomes CEO
Severin Schwan became CEO of F. Hoffmann-La Roche in 2008. Led Roche for 14 years; handed over to Thomas Schinecker in March 2023 and became chairman.
2009Broadcom
Avago lists on Nasdaq
Avago Technologies goes public on Nasdaq in August 2009 at $15 a share, giving it stock to use in later acquisitions.
2009Roche
Full Acquisition of Genentech for $46.8 Billion
Roche completes its historic $46.8 billion buyout of American biotechnology pioneer Genentech, securing market leadership in oncology biologics.
2014Broadcom
LSI Corporation acquired
Avago completes its $6.6 billion purchase of LSI in May 2014, adding storage controllers and custom ASIC design teams.
2016Broadcom
Avago buys Broadcom Corporation
Avago completes its $37 billion acquisition of Broadcom Corporation in February 2016, takes the Broadcom name and trades as AVGO.
2017Broadcom
Brocade acquired
Broadcom completes its $5.9 billion purchase of Brocade Communications in November 2017, adding Fibre Channel storage networking switches.
2018Broadcom
Qualcomm bid blocked and move to the U.S.
President Trump blocks Broadcom's unsolicited bid for Qualcomm on national security grounds in March 2018. Broadcom completes its redomicile from Singapore to the United States that April.
2018Broadcom
CA Technologies acquired
Broadcom completes its $18.9 billion purchase of CA Technologies in November 2018, its first large software deal, creating the infrastructure software segment.
2018Roche
Foundation Medicine & Flatiron Health Acquisitions
Roche acquires Foundation Medicine and Flatiron Health, integrating real-world oncology data analytics and genomic profiling into personalized healthcare.
2019Broadcom
Symantec enterprise security acquired
Broadcom buys Symantec's enterprise security business for $10.7 billion in November 2019, adding endpoint, web and data loss prevention software.
2022Broadcom
VMware deal announced
Broadcom agrees in May 2022 to buy VMware in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $61 billion at announcement.
2023Broadcom
VMware acquisition closes
Broadcom completes the VMware acquisition on 22 November 2023 after clearances in the U.S., EU, UK and China, a deal valued at about $69 billion including assumed debt.
2023Roche
Acquired Telavant
F. Hoffmann-La Roche acquired Telavant for $7.1 billion. Roche paid $7.1 billion upfront for Telavant to gain US and Japan rights to the anti-TL1A antibody RVT-3101 (afimkibart) for inflammatory bowel disease.
2024Broadcom
Stock split and $1 trillion market value
Broadcom splits its stock 10-for-1 in July 2024, sells VMware's end-user computing unit to KKR for about $4 billion, reports fiscal 2024 revenue of $51.6 billion and passes $1 trillion in market value in December 2024.
2025Broadcom
OpenAI partnership and record fiscal 2025
OpenAI and Broadcom agree in October 2025 to deploy 10 gigawatts of OpenAI-designed accelerators. Fiscal 2025 revenue rises 24% to $63.9 billion, with about $20 billion from AI chips.
2025Roche
Group Sales Reach CHF 61.5 Billion
Under CEO Thomas Schinecker, Roche delivers group sales of ~$73.8 billion (CHF 61.5 billion), driven by ~$57.2B (CHF 47.7B) in Pharmaceuticals and ~$16.6B (CHF 13.8B) in Diagnostics.
2026Broadcom
AI chips pass half of revenue
Amie Thuener becomes CFO in June 2026. Third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue rises 86% to $29.6 billion, and AI semiconductor revenue of $16.7 billion is 56% of the total.
Acquisitions
Broadcom
- VMware2023$69B
- Symantec Enterprise Security business2019$10.7B
- CA Technologies2018$18.9B
- Brocade Communications Systems2017$5.9B
- Broadcom Corporation2016$37B
- LSI Corporation2014$6.6B
Roche
- PathAI2026$1.1B
- 89bio2025$3.5B
- Telavant2023$7.1B
- Carmot Therapeutics2023$2.7B
- Foundation Medicine2018$2.4B
- ForSight VISION42017Undisclosed
Questions about Broadcom vs Roche
Who is the CEO of Broadcom Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG?
Broadcom Inc. is led by Hock Tan and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is led by Thomas Schinecker. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Broadcom Inc. founded vs F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG?
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG was founded in 1896 — 95 years before Broadcom Inc., which was founded in 1991. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Broadcom Inc..
How many employees does Broadcom Inc. have compared to F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG?
Broadcom Inc. employs approximately 33,000 people, while F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG employs approximately 112,774. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG has the larger workforce at 112,774 employees, compared to Broadcom Inc.'s 33,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Broadcom Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG headquartered?
Broadcom Inc. is headquartered in United States and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is headquartered in Switzerland. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Broadcom Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG?
Broadcom Inc. was founded by Henry Samueli, Henry Nicholas III. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG was founded by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche.
Which company has a longer operating history — Broadcom Inc. or F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG?
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG has been operating for approximately 130 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Broadcom Inc. has been in operation for around 35 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Broadcom vs Roche overview