Ray Zinn

Raymond D. “Ray” Zinn is an inventor, entrepreneur, and the longest serving CEO of a publicly traded company in Silicon Valley. He is best known for creating and selling the first Wafer Stepper (an industry standard piece of semiconductor manufacturing equipment), and for co-founding semiconductor company, Micrel (acquired by Microchip in 2015), which provides essential components for smartphones, consumer electronics and enterprise networks. He served as Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of its Board of Directors, and President since Micrel’s inception in 1978 until his retirement in August 2015. Zinn’s philosophy on people, servant leadership, humanistic management and the ethics of corporate culture are credited with Micrel’s nearly unbroken profitability.

Zinn also holds over 20 patents for semiconductor design. A proud great-grandfather, he is actively-retired and mentoring entrepreneurs. More info can be found on Zinn’s social media pages: Linked In (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayzinn) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/Ray_Zinn_) and at ToughThingsFirst.com.

His new book, Tough Things First (McGraw Hill), will be available on November 3, 2025 and is available for pre-order at ToughThingsFirst.com, Amazon and other fine booksellers until its release.

BOOK SUMMARY

Ray Zinn‘s new book, Tough Things First: Leadership Lessons from Silicon Valley’s Longest Serving CEO (November 3, 2015), features unique and fascinating leadership advice from his legendary career as CEO of Micrel. Tough Things First is a guide for people starting companies, leading enterprises, or even marshaling volunteers for community service. It’s the book you need in order to understand your entrepreneurial spirit, harness the creative power of your employees, and achieve your visions.

The key to your success, Zinn explains in Tough Things First, lies in each leader, who is the mind, eyes, and heart of the organization. This book shows you how to develop these interconnected skills, how to integrate them into your life and work, and how to learn to love doing what you hate to do. He reveals why discipline is the first and most important step?for the entrepreneur and the organization?and why people are your single most valuable resource. He offers practical advice on processes and procedures, finances and growth creation, changing markets, and new technology.