About this episode

Ray Zinn discusses his 37-year tenure as CEO of Micrel and the lessons learned in Silicon Valley.

In the volatile world of Silicon Valley, where the average CEO tenure is often less than five years and startups burn out as quickly as they rise, Ray Zinn stands as a monumental exception. For 37 years, Zinn served as the CEO of Micrel, the semiconductor company he founded in 1978, holding the record as the longest-serving CEO of a publicly traded company in the Valley. His tenure wasn't just about longevity; it was a masterclass in disciplined consistency. Under his leadership, Micrel achie...

People in this episode

Guest: Ray Zinn

Topics covered

• CEO tenure
• Silicon Valley
• leadership
• semiconductors
• entrepreneurship

Keywords

• CEO
• Micrel
• Ray Zinn
• Silicon Valley
• leadership
• entrepreneurship
• semiconductors

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Micrel

Places: Silicon Valley

More episodes of MarsBased podcast - Life on Mars

• Why the AI slop problem is getting worse | David Okuniev (Typeform co-founder) · May 26, 2026 · 48 min
• Why I left big tech to build again: The reality of being a founder · May 12, 2026 · 46 min
• Is your NDA a rookie mistake? Lessons from 12 years in tech - Building MarsBased #7 · March 17, 2026 · 25 min
• Troy Hunt: 12 years of Have I Been Pwned & the truth about AI scams · March 3, 2026 · 38 min
• Agency Q&A: Recruiting "Champions" and optimizing for answer engines (AEO) Building MarsBased #6 · February 17, 2026 · 33 min
• Scaling a remote team: Lessons on trust, productivity, and firing | Building MarsBased #5 · January 27, 2026 · 40 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the MarsBased podcast - Life on Mars podcast page.