From a Utah farm to Silicon Valley legend, Raymond D. "Ray" Zinn embodies the mantra: Do the tough things first.Co-founding Micrel Semiconductor in 1978 — bootstrapped without venture capital — Ray led as President, CEO, and Chairman for a record 37 years, the longest tenure of any publicly traded Silicon Valley CEO. His company powered smartphones, consumer electronics, and global networks, remaining profitable for 36 of those years while surviving eight major industry downturns. In 2015, Microchip Technology acquired Micrel for approximately $839 million in equity value.An inventor with over 20 patents, Ray pioneered the wafer stepper and revolutionized chip manufacturing. Weeks before Micrel's IPO, he lost his sight — yet he adapted, innovated, and thrived for decades more.Today, Ray inspires through his bestselling books: Tough Things First (McGraw-Hill, 2015) and the Zen of Zinn series. As an angel investor, he fuels the future via ZinnStarter, mentoring and funding student entrepreneurs nationwide.Ray Zinn: Proof that resilience turns obstacles into triumphs. It was not a magic trick or luck, it was
a life of left development you will fnd in the pages of Zen of Zinn Daily. YOU CAN DO THIS!