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ibm221
Sheetal.Pandey
Wonder are safety precautions so loose in US too? In India its quite common that ...
Micron's Steve Appleton dies in plane crash
Peter Clarke
2/3/2012 2:39 PM EST
LONDON – Steve Appleton, chairman and CEO of memory chip vendor Micron Technology Inc., died in plane crash Friday (Feb. 3) in Boise, Idaho.
Appleton, 51, led Micron as CEO since 1994, having joined the company in 1983.
He was the only passenger in an experimental fixed-wing plane when it crashed at Boise airport, according to an Associated Press report.
Micron's board of directors said in a statement: "Steve's passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large."
Mark Durcan, Micron's president and chief operating officer, will assume the responsibilities of CEO until a successor to Appleton is named, Micron said. The company's board will meet over the weekend to discuss the situation.
Micron announced last month that Durcan plans to retire in August, at the end of the company's current fiscal year.
"Steve was a true friend who will be dearly missed by all of us," Durcan said through a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and our team members as we all grieve this tragic loss."
Appleton, an avid experimental pilot, had walked away from a plane crash in 2004. On that incident, he was injured when his stunt plane crashed in the desert east of Boise.
Born and raised in California, Appleton attended Boise State University and joined Micron shortly after graduation in 1983. He rose through the organization to become president and COO in 1991 before taking the position of CEO in 1994.
As well as serving on Micron's board, Appleton served on the boards of Sematech and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). In November 2011 Appleton was awarded the 2011 Robert N. Noyce Award by the SIA in recognition of his significant contribution to the U.S. semiconductor industry.
-- Dylan McGrath contributed to this report from San Francisco.
Related links and articles:
www.micron.com
News articles:
Micron's CEO receives SIA award
CEO interview with Steve Appleton from 2007
CEO interview with Steve Appleton from 2006
Micron CEO injured in plane crash
Micron pins hopes on 0.11-micron technology
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any1
2/3/2012 4:08 PM EST
Steve Appleton was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I guess he died doing what he loved to do. The Micron board was not happy about him flying, but he really didn't care. I believe this will likely result in significant changes at Micron. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
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ibm221
2/5/2012 12:21 AM EST
I think we can't blame him on this point.
just imagine, boise, idaho, winter...
nothing you can do there, maybe you can enjoy your xbox360 and all cool.
steve need sth cooler than this.
the board should give him more vacation time, an office at LA, and teach him sailing instead...
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GoGoGeek
2/3/2012 4:16 PM EST
Our semiconductor industry lost another icon! Very sad!
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goafrit
2/3/2012 4:50 PM EST
Our condolences
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dylan.mcgrath
2/3/2012 5:28 PM EST
Just a sad story. Say what you will about Appleton, I always respected the fact that he landed a job at Micron after college and pretty quickly worked his way up to the top job. And I also respected the fact that he refused to take his bonus in at least some years when Micron did poorly (that seems kind of like common sense, but from what I understand that's pretty rare). To die at 51 is just a damn shame.
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nicolas.mokhoff
2/3/2012 5:31 PM EST
hear! Hear!
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lonecowboy
2/3/2012 6:15 PM EST
Obviuosly it's another loss to the industry. We have seen quite a few industry icons gone for past few years. RIP..
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Felipe1
2/3/2012 7:15 PM EST
I had the great pleasure of working for Micron in the San Jose Design Center, and worked with Steve on his many visits to the Bay Area. My sincerest condolences to his friends and family. He was a great leader. He will be missed.
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the_floating_ gate
2/3/2012 11:44 PM EST
IMF aid could kill Micron, CEO says
Memory market future unclear
January 19, 1998
S. Korean DRAM battle heats up
August 18, 1997
Micron Technology (MU) CEO Steve Appleton will say to Congress that unconditional International Monetary Fund (IMF) aid for South Korea could put his semiconductor company out of business.
Appleton will tell the House Banking committee that heavily indebted South Korean memory chip manufacturers have flooded the market with below-cost goods, grabbing share at Micron's expense. The committee is hearing testimony about increased U.S. contributions to the IMF.
"Non-commercial" bank loans have financed their loss-making expansion, and IMF monies that shore up cash-strapped Korean banks will insulate the banks from risky practices while penalizing U.S. companies unable to obtain such credit, according to the CEO.
"If the US participates in furthering the IMF bailout, Korea must be held accountable for the use of these funds. Left unchecked, we may lose the last remaining U.S. merchant producer making DRAMs in this country," Appleton said in a prepared statement echoing the call for mandatory banking reform to accompany Korean relief.
DRAMs, or dynamic random access memory chips, fell precipitously throughout 1996 and 1997 because of oversupply. Last December, they were hovering just above $2, well below the $4 cost of manufacture, according to International Data Corporation....
http://news.cnet.com/IMF-aid-could-kill-Micron,-CEO-says/2100-1001_3-207638.html
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eewiz
2/4/2012 12:36 AM EST
Sad story. Lost another veteran of our industry. I am wondering whether they dont have enough safety precautions in these experimental planes.
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Sheetal.Pandey
2/10/2012 12:16 AM EST
Wonder are safety precautions so loose in US too? In India its quite common that plane crashes due to safety guidelines being loosely handled. Anyway its a great loss to semiconductor industry.
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ibm221
2/10/2012 2:33 AM EST
he got 20+ planes, which need 3-5 technicians to run PM etc.
Seems Steve didn't have enough man power here.
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yalanand
2/4/2012 1:23 AM EST
Really a sad story. This is a big blow not only to Micron but to the whole semiconductor industry. RIP.
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gronk
2/4/2012 12:15 PM EST
So long, Steve, and thanks for the memories.
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ibm221
2/4/2012 8:07 PM EST
uh.. . wow..
I almost lost hope in micron when Durcan want to retire. the new adams COO idea just sounds so naive.
this is .. act of heaven .. grace shines on Durcan, the shy, quite but thoughtful guy behind the struggling micron and thousands of it's employees.
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t.alex
2/4/2012 9:44 PM EST
RIP, Steve.
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GREAT-Terry
2/5/2012 9:08 PM EST
Sad to hear this news. Anyway, I guess Steve surely is a very bright person as he can climb up the ladder from a fresh graduate to the top position in just 11 years!
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ibm221
2/6/2012 12:49 AM EST
not really,
the folks around would say what a xxx would drive such a dangerous plane at age of 51.
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elctrnx_lyf
2/6/2012 1:06 AM EST
Feels sad to lose such a great leader and I hope Micron future is still safe.
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Dhariyash
2/6/2012 5:01 AM EST
RIP Steve Appleton.
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