Look Who it Was Random video

Oral History of Pierre Lamond

4,021 views · Published 7 March 2018 · 2:27:57 · Indexed 19 October 2026

Channel: Computer History Museum · 2018 · Science & Technology

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Interviewed by Doug Fairbairn and Marguerite Gong Hancock on 2017-06-30 in Mountain View, CA X8254.2017 
© Computer History Museum

This oral history track’s Pierre Lamond’s life and career from Paris in 1930, where he was born, through multiple companies and venture capital firms in Silicon Valley.  He developed an early interest in electronics listening to “Radio France Libre” broadcast from London during WWII. He served in the French Army for a period in the 1950’s. During the early 1950’s, he taught himself about solid state devices and eventually found a job at Transitron in Boston. He went to work there in October 1957

After several years, he became disenchanted with Transitron, and moved on to Fairchild Semiconductor in 1961, where he spent much of his time working in R&D under Gordon Moore. In 1967, he joined with Charlie Sporck to move over to National Semiconductor. He took a detour to become CEO of Coherent Radiation in 1976 and then to Advent in Boston, but he eventually returned to National in 1978.

The next major career step was to move into venture capital in 1982, at which time he joined Don Valentine, an old Fairchild colleague, at Sequoia Capital. Since then, Lamond has remained active in venture investing with a variety of firms, including Khosla Ventures. As of 2017, he continues to be an active investor in several companies.

* Note:  Transcripts represent what was said in the interview. However, to enhance meaning or add clarification, interviewees have the opportunity to modify this text afterward. This may result in discrepancies between the transcript and the video. Please refer to the transcript for further information - http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738291

Visit computerhistory.org/collections/oralhistories/ for more information about the Computer History Museum's Oral History Collection.

Lot number: X8254.2017
Catalog number: 102738292

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