Micron vs Texas Instruments: Founders, CEOs and History
Micron was founded in 1978 by Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson and is led by Sanjay Mehrotra. Texas Instruments was founded in 1951 by Patrick E. Haggerty, Cecil H. Green, J. Erik Jonsson and is led by Haviv Ilan.
Company facts
Micron
- Founded
- 1978
- Headquarters
- Boise, Idaho, United States
- Current CEO
- Sanjay Mehrotra
- Employees
- 53,000
Texas Instruments
- Founded
- 1951
- Headquarters
- Dallas, Texas, United States
- Current CEO
- Haviv Ilan
- Employees
- 33,000
Founders
Micron
Ward Parkinson
Ward Parkinson co-founded Micron Technology in 1978 alongside his brother Joe, Dennis Wilson, and Doug Pitman. After failing to secure consulting contracts, he pushed the company to manufacture its own 64K DRAM chips.
Joe Parkinson
Joe Parkinson served as the first CEO of Micron Technology. He managed the company's highly aggressive, successful anti-dumping lawsuits against massive Japanese semiconductor conglomerates in the 1980s, securing tariffs that saved the US memory industry.
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson was a founding engineer at Micron Technology. He helped design the company's initial 64K DRAM chips, focusing heavily on reducing the physical die size to drastically lower manufacturing costs, which became Micron's primary competitive advantage.…
Doug Pitman
Doug Pitman co-founded Micron Technology and contributed to the initial architectural layout of the company's early memory chips, helping establish the highly efficient design philosophy that kept the company alive during early market crashes.
Texas Instruments
Patrick E. Haggerty
Patrick Haggerty led GSI's move into electronics and pushed Texas Instruments into transistors in the early 1950s, including licensing transistor technology from Western Electric and backing the 1954 Regency TR-1 transistor radio.
Cecil H. Green
Cecil H. Green served as a director of Texas Instruments from its founding until his retirement from active corporate involvement in the 1970s and made essential contributions to the company's financial management and international expansion.
J. Erik Jonsson
J. Erik Jonsson (1901-1995) was a co-founder of Texas Instruments. In 1930, he joined GSI, an oil exploration firm, and later orchestrated the buyout of the company alongside Cecil Green and Eugene McDermott on the eve of WWII.
Eugene McDermott
Eugene McDermott (1899-1973) co-founded Geophysical Service Inc. (the predecessor to Texas Instruments) in 1930. He pioneered the use of reflection seismology to discover oil reserves.
CEOs and their tenures
Micron
- Steve Appleton1994–2012
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO from 1994 until his death in a 2012 plane crash, he transformed Micron from a struggling regional manufacturer into a dominant global memory giant, surviving market downturns that destroyed most US competitors.
Source - Mark Durcan2012–2017
Chief Executive Officer
He assumed the CEO role abruptly following the tragic death of Steve Appleton and successfully navigated the company through brutal memory pricing cycles before retiring in 2017.
Source - Sanjay Mehrotra2017–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sanjay Mehrotra has led Micron's strategic pivot toward advanced-node leadership, strict capacity discipline, and a focus on high-value data center and mobile markets, driving the company's financial performance through the 2023 memory trough and overseeing th…
Source
Texas Instruments
- Jerry R. Junkins1985–1996
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
He died suddenly in May 1996 while on a business trip in Germany, and Tom Engibous succeeded him.
Source - Thomas J. Engibous1996–2004
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
He led the 2000 purchase of Burr-Brown. Rich Templeton succeeded him as chief executive in 2004.
Source - Rich Templeton2004–2023
President and Chief Executive Officer
During his nearly 20 years as CEO, he transformed TI into a massive free-cash-flow generating machine, aggressively expanding its 300mm wafer manufacturing footprint in the US.
Source - Haviv Ilan2023–present
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Haviv Ilan succeeded Rich Templeton as president and CEO on April 1, 2023, and later added the chairman role. He has overseen the start of production at Sherman SM1 in December 2025, the 2025-2026 revenue recovery and the 2026 agreement to buy Silicon Labs.
Source
Timeline: Micron and Texas Instruments side by side
1951Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated Founded
Texas Instruments Incorporated was formally established as an independent entity in 1951 by Cecil H. Green, J. Erik Jonsson, Eugene McDermott, and Patrick E. Haggerty, growing out of the electronics manufacturing operations of Geophysics Service Incorporated.
1952Texas Instruments
Western Electric Transistor License Acquired
TI acquired a license from Western ElectricAT&T's manufacturing subsidiaryto produce transistors based on Bell Laboratories' technology for a fee of 25,000 dollars.
1954Texas Instruments
First Commercial Silicon Transistor
TI engineer Gordon Teal announced the world's first commercial silicon transistor at the Institute of Radio Engineers convention, shocking competitors who had not believed silicon transistors were manufacturable at commercial volumes.
1958Texas Instruments
Jack Kilby Invents the Integrated Circuit
On September 12, 1958, TI engineer Jack Kilby demonstrated the world's first working integrated circuit, a small piece of germanium containing a transistor, capacitor, and resistors connected by metal wire on a single substrate.
1972Texas Instruments
First Handheld Electronic Calculator
TI introduced the Datamath, the world's first commercial handheld electronic calculator powered by a single integrated circuit chip that TI designed and manufactured.
1978Micron
Company Founded
Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson and Doug Pitman founded Micron Technology in Boise, Idaho, initially as a semiconductor design consultancy before moving into DRAM manufacturing.
1978Texas Instruments
TMS9900: World's First Single-Chip 16-Bit Microprocessor
TI introduced the TMS9900, the world's first commercially available single-chip 16-bit microprocessor.
1981Micron
64K DRAM Launched
Micron introduced its first 64K DRAM chip, utilizing advanced n-channel MOS technology to achieve acceptable yields and establish the company as a viable competitor in the global memory market, despite the scale advantage of Japanese manufacturers.
1983Texas Instruments
Exit from Home Computer Market
Texas Instruments announced the discontinuation of the TI-99/4A home computer following losses estimated at approximately 660 million dollars from its consumer PC business.
1984Micron
NASDAQ IPO
Micron completed its initial public offering on the NASDAQ under the ticker MU, establishing the capital base required to accelerate research and development, expand fabrication capacity, and pursue strategic acquisitions to survive the severe memory price war…
1996Texas Instruments
Digital Light Processing Technology Commercial Launch
TI commercially launched Digital Light Processing technology based on the Digital Micromirror Device chip invented by engineer Larry Hornbeck in 1987.
1998Micron
Texas Instruments Memory Business Acquired
Micron bought the memory chip business of Texas Instruments in 1998.
1999Micron
Acquisition of Rendition
Micron acquired Rendition, a graphics chip manufacturer, marking its first major step into the integration of memory and logic technologies, though the company later refocused on its core memory competencies to maximize capital efficiency.
2011Texas Instruments
National Semiconductor Acquisition for 6.5 Billion Dollars
TI completed the acquisition of National Semiconductor Corporation for approximately 6.5 billion dollars in cash, adding National's extensive analog product portfolioparticularly in power management and audio amplifiersto TI's catalog.
2013Micron
Elpida Memory Acquisition
Micron acquired the assets of bankrupt Japanese DRAM manufacturer Elpida Memory for $2.5 billion, significantly expanding its global market share, acquiring valuable patent portfolios, and solidifying its position as the number two global DRAM manufacturer.
2013Texas Instruments
Exit from Mobile Application Processor Business
Texas Instruments formally exited the mobile application processor market, discontinuing development of its OMAP processor line that had powered smartphones and tablets from Nokia, Motorola, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
2017Micron
Sanjay Mehrotra Appointed CEO
Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder of SanDisk, was appointed CEO, initiating a strategic shift toward advanced-node leadership, strict capacity discipline, and a focus on high-value data center and mobile markets, driving the company's financial performance and marke…
2021Texas Instruments
CHIPS Act Manufacturing Expansion Announcement
TI announced plans to construct new 300-millimeter semiconductor fabrication facilities in Sherman, Texas, and to expand its Lehi, Utah facility acquired from Micron Technology.
2022Micron
New York Megafab Announced
Micron said in October 2022 that it would invest up to $100 billion over 20 years in a memory plant in Clay, New York.
2023Micron
CHIPS Act Preliminary Memorandum
Micron secured a preliminary memorandum of terms for $6.2 billion in CHIPS Act funding, supporting the construction of leading-edge memory fabrication facilities in Idaho and New York, a historic investment in US semiconductor manufacturing resilience.
2023Texas Instruments
Haviv Ilan Becomes CEO
Haviv Ilan assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Instruments, succeeding Rich Templeton who had served as CEO since 2004.
2024Micron
HBM3E Volume Production
Micron achieved the industry's first volume production of HBM3E 8-high and 12-high stacks, securing the primary design win for Nvidia's H200 AI accelerator and establishing the company as a critical enabler of the artificial intelligence hardware supply chain.
2025Micron
Exit From Crucial Consumer Business
In December 2025 Micron said it would stop selling Crucial-branded memory and SSDs through retail channels after fiscal Q2 2026 (February 2026), redirecting supply to AI and data-center customers while keeping warranty support.
2026Micron
$1 Trillion Market Value And Record Fiscal Year
Micron's market capitalization passed $1 trillion in May 2026. On September 30, 2026 it reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $133.19B and net income of $84.97B, and said it was raising planned US investment to more than $250B through 2035, including the New York me…
Acquisitions
Texas Instruments
- Silicon Laboratories (Silicon Labs)2026$7.5B
- Micron Technology Lehi, Utah Facility2021$900M
- National Semiconductor Corporation2011$6.5B
- Burr-Brown Corporation2000$7.6B
- Unitrode Corporation1999$1.2B
Questions about Micron vs Texas Instruments
Who is the CEO of Micron Technology, Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc.?
Micron Technology, Inc. is led by Sanjay Mehrotra and Texas Instruments Inc. is led by Haviv Ilan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Micron Technology, Inc. founded vs Texas Instruments Inc.?
Texas Instruments Inc. was founded in 1951 — 27 years before Micron Technology, Inc., which was founded in 1978. Texas Instruments Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Micron Technology, Inc..
How many employees does Micron Technology, Inc. have compared to Texas Instruments Inc.?
Micron Technology, Inc. employs approximately 53,000 people, while Texas Instruments Inc. employs approximately 33,000. Micron Technology, Inc. has the larger workforce at 53,000 employees, compared to Texas Instruments 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 Micron Technology, Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. headquartered?
Both Micron Technology, Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc. are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Micron Technology, Inc. and Texas Instruments Inc.?
Micron Technology, Inc. was founded by Ward Parkinson, Joe Parkinson, Dennis Wilson, Doug Pitman. Texas Instruments Inc. was founded by Patrick E. Haggerty, Cecil H. Green, J. Erik Jonsson, Eugene McDermott.
Which company has a longer operating history — Micron Technology, Inc. or Texas Instruments Inc.?
Texas Instruments Inc. has been operating for approximately 75 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Micron Technology, Inc. has been in operation for around 48 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 Micron vs Texas Instruments overview