Gil Amelio

Amelio grew up in Miami, Florida, of Italian born parents, and graduated from Miami High School.{{cite book |author= Howard Kleinberg |title=The Stingaree Century |year=2003|publisher=(self published) |isbn=0974158909 |pages=141}} He received a bachelor's degree, master's degree, and PhD in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. While at Georgia Tech, Amelio was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

Amelio joined Bell Labs as a researcher in 1968.{{Cite web |title= Interview with Gil Amelio |date= March 24, 2000 |work= Silicon Genesis |publisher= Stanford University |url=http://silicongenesis.stanford.edu/transcripts/amelio.htm |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}

In 1970, Amelio was on the team that demonstrated the first working charge-coupled device (CCD).{{cite journal | journal=Applied Physics Letters | doi = 10.1063/1.1653327 | title = Charge Coupled 8-bit Shift Register |author1=M. F. Tompsett |author2=G. F. Amelio |author3=G. E. Smith |volume = 17 | pages = 111–115 | date = August 1, 1970 | issue = 3 | bibcode=1970ApPhL..17..111T}}

He moved to Fairchild Semiconductor in 1971, where he led the development of the first commercial CCD image sensors in the early 1970s,{{cite journal |author=Gilbert F. Amelio |date=February 1974 |title=Charge-Coupled Devices |journal=Scientific American |volume=230 |issue=2 |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/magazine/sa/1974/02-01/ }} and in 1977 became head of the MOS division.

He worked his way up to president of the semiconductor division of Rockwell International, and then its communications systems division.{{Cite web |title= Annual Report for the fiscal year ended May 28, 1995 |work= Form 10-K |author= National Semiconductor |date= July 20, 1995 |publisher= US Securities and Exchange Commission |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/70530/0000070530-95-000006.txt |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}

Amelio joined National Semiconductor as president and chief executive in February 1991.

In 1994 Amelio joined the board of directors of Apple. After his resignation from National Semiconductor, Amelio became Apple CEO on February 2, 1996, succeeding Michael Spindler. His salary was a reported $990,000 plus bonuses and a $5 million loan.{{Cite news |year= 1996 |title=Gil Amelio's Insanely Great Paycheck |author1=Peter Burrows|newspaper=Bloomberg.com | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1996-02-25/gil-amelios-insanely-great-paycheck}} He also received approximately $100,000 for the use of his business jet by Apple the previous year according to the section "Certain Transactions" in the Apple Proxy Statement for 1996.{{Cite web |year= 1997 |title=SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934| url=http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingid=912057-96-30278&cik=320193#FIS_CERTAIN_RELATIONSHIPS}}

Amelio cited several problems at Apple including a shortage of cash and liquidity, low-quality products, lack of a viable operating system strategy, undisciplined corporate culture, and fragmentation in trying to do too much and in too many directions. To address these problems Amelio cut costs, reduced Apple's work force by one third, discontinued the Copland operating system project, and oversaw the development of Mac OS 8.

To replace Copland and fulfill the need for a next generation operating system Amelio started negotiations to buy BeOS from Be Inc. but negotiations stalled when Be CEO Jean-Louis Gassée demanded $275 million; Apple was unwilling to offer more than $200 million.{{Cite book |last1=Amelio |first1=Gil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMQhwQEACAAJ |title=On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple |last2=Simon |first2=William L. |date=1998 |publisher=Capstone |isbn=978-1-900961-98-1 |language=en}} In November 1996 Amelio started discussions with Steve Jobs's NeXT, and bought the company on February 4, 1997, for $400 million.{{Cite web |last=Kawamoto |first=Dawn |date=Dec 20, 1996 |title=Apple acquires Next, Jobs |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/apple-acquires-next-jobs/ |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=CNET |language=en}}

During Amelio's tenure Apple's stock continued to slump and hit a 12-year low in Q2 1997 that was at least partially caused by a single sale of 1.5 million shares of Apple stock on June 26 by an anonymous party who was later confirmed to be Steve Jobs.{{cite web |last=Swartz |first=Jon |title=Steve Jobs Confirms Apple Stock Sale |url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Steve-Jobs-Confirms-Apple-Stock-Sale-2812791.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=August 12, 1997 |access-date=October 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227033002if_/http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Steve-Jobs-Confirms-Apple-Stock-Sale-2812791.php|archive-date=February 27, 2016}} Apple lost another $708 million. On the July 4, 1997 weekend, Jobs convinced the directors to oust Amelio in a boardroom coup; Amelio submitted his resignation less than a week later; and Jobs then became interim CEO on September 16. Jobs later quoted Amelio as having said:

Apple is like a ship with a hole in the bottom, leaking water, and my job is to get the ship pointed in the right direction.Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. {{ISBN|978-1-4516-4853-9}}.{{cite video

| people = Kara Swisher, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates

| date = May 30, 2007

| title = Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Together: Part 2, All Things Digital 5

| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_HThS8DZo#t=5m20s

| medium = video

| work = The Wall Street Journal

| access-date = February 15, 2010

| time = 5:20

}}

{{cite web |last=Sloan |first=Paul |title=Perspective: Yahoo's Turnaround Efforts Are Straight from Steve Jobs' Playbook (quoting Larry Ellison) |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51365695/perspective-yahoos-turnaround-efforts-are-straight-from-steve-jobs-playbook |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119015359/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-51365695/perspective-yahoos-turnaround-efforts-are-straight-from-steve-jobs-playbook |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |work=CBS News |date=November 17, 2009 |access-date=August 23, 2012}}

It was reported that Amelio's contract gave him about $3.5 million in severance pay, after a $2.3 million performance bonus in 1996.{{Cite news |title= Amelio's golden handshake |work= CNet News |date= July 9, 1997 |url=http://news.cnet.com/Amelios-golden-handshake/2009-1001_3-201309.html |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}

Since 1998 Amelio has been a venture capitalist. In February 2001, Amelio became CEO of Advanced Communications Technologies (ADC). ADC is the United States arm of an Australian firm that has developed a product for the wireless communications industry called SpectruCell.{{cite web |url=http://www.macobserver.com/article/2001/02/06.13.shtml |title=Former Apple CEO Gil Amelio Lands A New CEO Job |work=The Mac Observer |first=Bryan |last=Chaffin|date=February 6, 2001}} He became senior partner at Sienna Ventures in Sausalito, California in May 2001.{{Cite news |title= Ex-Apple CEO Amelio to join Sienna |author= Dawn Kawamoto |work= CNet News |date= May 10, 2001 |url=http://news.cnet.com/Ex-Apple-CEO-Amelio-to-join-Sienna/2100-1017_3-257456.html |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}

In 2005 he co-founded Acquicor with ex-Apple CTO Ellen Hancock and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.{{Cite news |title= Acquicor Tech Enjoys Apple's Halo |author= Kevin Kelleher |date= March 20, 2006 |work= The Street |url= https://www.thestreet.com/story/10274388/1/acquicor-tech-enjoys-apples-halo.html |access-date= October 16, 2017 |df= mdy-all }}{{Cite news |title= Amelio And Wozniak Seek A "Blank Check'; Ex-Apple Execs Surface; Ellen Hancock also part of an acquisition-minded outfit doing unusual IPO |author= Reinhardt Krause |work= Investors Daily |date= March 6, 2006 |url=http://news.investors.com/technology/030606-416575-amelio-and-wozniak-seek-a-blank-check-ex-apple-execs-surface-ellen-hancock-also-part-of-an-acquisition-minded-outfit-doing-unusual-ipo.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025171554/http://news.investors.com/technology/030606-416575-amelio-and-wozniak-seek-a-blank-check-ex-apple-execs-surface-ellen-hancock-also-part-of-an-acquisition-minded-outfit-doing-unusual-ipo.htm |archive-date= October 25, 2013 |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}{{Cite news |title= Ex-Apple execs form 'blank check' company |author= Mark LaPedus |date= March 15, 2006 |work= EE Times |url=http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1160045 |access-date= October 25, 2013 }} Acquicor acquired Jazz Semiconductor in early 2007, and sold it in 2008 for a loss.{{Cite news |title= Tower Semi to Buy Jazz, Laying a Troubled SPAC to Rest |author= Eric Savitz |work= Seeking Alpha |date= May 20, 2008 |url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/78120-tower-semi-to-buy-jazz-laying-a-troubled-spac-to-rest |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}{{Cite news |title= Tower Semiconductor Completes Merger with Jazz Technologies |work= Press release |date= September 19, 2008 |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20080919005342/en/Tower-Semiconductor-Completes-Merger-Jazz-Technologies |access-date= October 25, 2013 }}{{Cite news |title= Tower completes Jazz acquisition |work= Semiconductor Today |date= September 22, 2008 |url=http://www.semiconductor-today.com/news_items/2008/SEPT/TOWER_220908.htm |access-date= October 23, 2013 }}

Amelio was a director and chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association. Since 1996 he has been an advisor to the Malaysia Multimedia Super Corridor and to Malaysia's Prime Minister. In June 2003 he was named chairman of the board of Ripcord Networks; where he joined Steve Wozniak, Ellen Hancock, and other Apple alumni.{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=Aug 4, 2004 |title=Ripcord's Board |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2004/08/ripcords-board/ |access-date=2022-10-26 |issn=1059-1028}} Amelio was a board member of AT&T Inc., Pacific Telesis, Chiron Corporation, Sematech, InterDigital, and Georgia Tech (as chairman), as well as a trustee of the American Film Institute.{{Cite web |title=Gilbert F Amelio "Gil" |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/1409980 |website=Bloomberg}}

He was a contributor to the report An American Imperative (1993),{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/05/us/report-says-colleges-are-failing-to-educate.html |title=Report Says Colleges Are Failing to Educate |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 5, 1993 |access-date=6 August 2019|last1=Honan |first1=William H. }} and author of the books Profit from Experience (1995, {{ISBN|978-0471287049}}) and On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple (1998, {{ISBN|978-0887309199}}).

In November 2020, Amelio joined the board of directors for Nashville-based augmented reality startup VideoBomb.{{cite news |last1=Capps |first1=Milt |title=Nashville's VideoBomb welcomes former Apple CEO and a serial entrepreneur to board, maps capital raises |url=https://www.venturenashville.com/nashvilles-videobomb-welcomes-former-apple-ceo-and-a-serial-entrepreneur-to-board-maps-capital-raises-cms-2033 |work=Venture Nashville Connections |date=16 November 2020}}

Amelio joined the board of directors for Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in September 2023.{{cite news |title=Computer Museum of America Announces Former Apple CEO, Gil Amelio, Added to the Board |url=https://www.computermuseumofamerica.org/news/cmoa-announces-new-board-member/ |date=22 September 2023}}

Amelio is an IEEE Fellow.{{Cite web|url=https://services27.ieee.org/fellowsdirectory/home.html#results_table|title = IEEE Fellows Directory - Alphabetical Listing}} He received the IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award in 1991 for contributions to the development of the charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors in consumer video cameras. He has been awarded 16 patents.{{Cite web |title=Gil Amelio joins board of Australian wireless concern |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/164774/amelio-2.html |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=Macworld |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Gilbert F. Amelio Ph.D. {{!}} National Air and Space Museum |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/gilbert-f-amelio-phd |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=airandspace.si.edu}}

• {{Cite book |last1=Amelio |first1=Gil |last2=Simon |first2=William L. |date=1996 |title=Profit from Experience: The National Semiconductor Story of Transformation |url=https://archive.org/details/profitfromexperi00amel |location=New York |publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold |isbn=9780442020552 |oclc=32970464}}
• {{Cite book |last1=Amelio |first1=Gil |last2=Simon |first2=William L. |date=1997 |title=Profit from Experience: Practical, Proven Skills for Transforming Your Organization |location=New York |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=9780684837024 |oclc=37109222}} Reprint of the above?
• {{Cite book |last1=Amelio |first1=Gil |last2=Simon |first2=William L. |year=1999 |title=On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple |url=https://archive.org/details/onfiringlinemy5000gila |location=New York |publisher=Harper Business |isbn=978-0-88730-919-9 |oclc=41424094}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://lowendmac.com/2013/the-rise-and-fall-of-apples-gil-amelio/ The Rise and Fall of Apple's Gil Amelio] from Low End Mac
• [http://news.cnet.com/Amelio-Jobs-a-cheerleader,-not-manager/2100-1001_3-203216.html Apple CEO Gil Amelio's first interview after being fired by Apple]

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Category:1943 births

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