Kilby had long worked closely with the Defense Department, given Texas Instruments’ role as a major supplier of electronics for weapons systems. IBM and Bell Labs also had deep connections with Washington. But Intel’s leaders had previously portrayed themselves as “Silicon Valley cowboys who didn’t need anybody’s help,” as one defense official put it. The fact that Noyce was willing to spend time at the Defense Department was a sign of how serious a threat the semiconductor industry faced—and how dire the impact on the U.S. military could be.
