Silicon Valley is known worldwide as the global center of high tech
innovation. In large part, the spark that ignited Silicon Valley's explosive
growth can be traced back to a 50 year-old dispute that occurred in the building
at 391 San Antonio Road, Mountain View, California, home of Shockley
Transistor.
In the 1950s William Shockley was considered a "God" in the
electronics world. He led the Bell Labs team that invented the transistor in
1948. With funding from Arnold Beckman -- a wealthy scientist-businessman --
Shockley established the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in 1955. Shockley
went against Beckman's recommendation to set up in southern California, near
Beckman's own company, and established the lab in a former Quonset hut at 391
San Antonio. This video recounts Shockley and how his traitorous eight went on
to found the chip industry.