10 Things You Didn’t Know about Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson
Gary Dickerson is both the CEO and the President of Applied Materials. Said corporation isn’t the most exciting example of its kind that can be found out there, but it is interesting in that it provides the hardware, the software, as well as the other products and services needed to make semiconductor chips. As such, Applied Materials is very important, which in turn, makes it very lucrative as well. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Gary Dickerson:
1. Studied Engineering Management
Management is something that sees use in a wide range of contexts. As a result, management can get pretty specialized, as shown by the fact that Dickerson studied engineering management in school. Like its name suggests, engineering management is the use of management in the context of engineering, which is meant to produce either engineers with management skills or managers with an understanding of engineering depending on how one sees things.
2. Studied Business Administration
Later, Dickerson went for a Master of Business Administration, which is a common choice for people who wind up in senior-most management. Such programs tend to have a broad focus, meaning not just the knowledge needed to run a business’s operations but also oversee other core functions such as accounting and marketing.
3. Specializes in Semiconductors
Dickerson is known for his involvement in the semiconductor industry, which is responsible for making semiconductor devices. Said industry sprung up in the 1960s but has been becoming more and more important ever since, seeing as how its products are critical for both electrical and electronic devices.
4. Spent Some Time at General Motors and AT&T Technologies
Initially, Dickerson worked at both General Motors and AT&T technologies. In particular, it is interesting to note that he worked at a subsidiary of General Motors called the Delco Electronics Corporation, which was responsible for making radios and other electric products for GM cars. It no longer exists, but it is still remembered for having come up with a number of important innovations in its field such as the first practical examples of battery ignition systems and automobile self-starters.
5. Spent 18 Years at KLA-Tencor Corporation
Afterwards, Dickerson spent 18 years at the KLA-Tencor Corporation, which produces systems for both process control and yield management that are meant for the semiconductor industry as well as some of its related sectors. There, he rose to very high positions, seeing as how he was both President and COO.
6. Was CEO of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates
Eventually, Dickerson became the CEO of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, which tends to be one step higher than the COO in most corporations. In total, he spent 7 years in that position until the corporation was bought out by Applied Materials.
7. Seems to Have Done Pretty Well from the Buyout
Naturally, Dickerson was the one who negotiated the $4.9 billion cash buyout of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates by Applied Materials. On the whole, he seems to have done pretty well because of it, seeing as how the buyout winded up with him becoming both the President and the CEO of Applied Materials.
8. Smart Devices Are Driving Applied Materials Growth
In recent times, Dickerson has stated that the trend of smarter and smarter devices is one of the primary drivers for Applied Materials’s growth in recent times. Moreover, it is a driver that is expected to continue for some time to come. This makes perfect sense because Applied Materials and other companies in the semiconductor industry produce the components that make these devices possible in the first place.
9. Data Is Driving Applied Materials Growth
On a related note, smart devices are generating a great deal of data, which can be very useful for businesses but needs high-performance computing for that usefulness to be realized. Once again, Applied Materials is one of the companies that make high-performance computing possible with its products, meaning that it benefits from this trend as well.
10. Sees Incredible Potential in AI
However, Dickerson sees the most potential in AI. Granted, we are still very far from seeing the kind of full-fledged AI that can be found in science fiction, but the usefulness of machine intelligence can already be seen in the wide range of sectors that are making use of machine learning. As AI becomes more and more plausible, it seems safe to say that machine intelligence will see more and more use, thus benefiting Applied Materials and other companies that make it possible.
