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Can a guy like Sass Somekh ever truly "retire"? |
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Dec 26, 2006 at 10:38 AM |
When I heard last week that Sass Somekh, Novellus's president, planned to "retire" from full-time duties, my first reaction was skepticism that the energetic executive would or could truly "retire." Although I haven't had a chance to talk with Sass or any of his "people," I can't imagine him in full retirement mode.
Novellus's press release notes that he will be transitioning to part time after his official "retirement" date (Jan.
29), continuing his roles as leader of the company's technical advisory board, advising Rick Hill, and a few industry-related activities. Sass is already on the boards of Synopsys and Nanosys, so perhaps another board gig or two await him somewhere, preferably with a company or companies with names ending in "-sys." Of course, a man of Sass's expertise, experience, and stature (yes, he's tall, but his professional stature) would command top dollar as a consultant or as part of a venture-capital team.
But the news also triggered memories of an interview for MICRO that I conducted with Sass in January 2005, when he was just completing his first year as president of Novellus after 20+ years at Applied Materials. The most vivid recollections I have of the interview, apart from Sass's measured intensity and unique way of expressing himself, were his enthusiastic praises for his Toyota Prius hybrid and some proud papa moments when he shared video stored on his PDA of a TV ad showcasing the talents of his globetrotting balloon artist/entertainer son, Arri.
As a proud dad myself, I could relate to Sass's unabashed fatherly affection. When he described how Arri had traveled to more than 30 countries, using his balloon-sculpting talents to bring a little peace and whimsy to some troubled corners of the planet, I saw a side of Sass that transcended his usual titan-of-the-tech-industry demeanor. And what I saw made me think more of him.
(For more about Addi Somekh's balloon art and other artistic exploits, click here.)
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