Paul E. Jacobs (born October 30, 1962) is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Globalstar[1] and the former executive chairman of Qualcomm.[2][3]

Paul E. Jacobs
Jacobs in 2010
Born (1962-10-30) October 30, 1962 (age 62)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BSc, MS, PhD)
Occupation(s)Chairman Qualcomm; CEO Globalstar
Spouse(s)Stacey Jacobs (divorced)
Geneviève Tremblay
Children5
ParentIrwin M. Jacobs
RelativesGary E. Jacobs (brother)
Sara Jacobs (niece)

Family and education

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Jacobs was born to Joan (née Klein) and Irwin M. Jacobs. His father was co-founder of Linkabit and Qualcomm. He has three brothers: Gary E. Jacobs (born 1958), Hal Jacobs (born 1960), and Jeffrey A. Jacobs (born 1966).[4] His niece Sara Jacobs represent's California's 53rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He earned a BSc in Engineering and Computer Science in 1984, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986, and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.[5][6]

Career

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Jacobs has been executive chairman of Qualcomm since March 2009.[7] He had been the chief executive officer (CEO) from July 2005 to March 2014, and previous to that date was the president of Qualcomm Wireless and Internet Group from July 2001. Jacobs started with the company as an engineer in the wireless technology development group in 1990.[8]

In December 2013, Qualcomm announced that Jacobs would step down as CEO and be replaced by president and COO Steve Mollenkopf from March 2014.[9]

On May 28, 2013, Jacobs along with his three brothers became minority owners in the Sacramento Kings in a partnership with Vivek Ranadivé and Mark Mastrov.[10] The NBA approved the sale on May 28.[11]

In 2016, Jacobs was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[12]

In March 2018 Qualcomm announced that Jacobs would be stepping down as the company's executive chairman. On March 16, 2018, Qualcomm removed Jacobs from its board, after he "broached a long-shot bid" for a buyout earlier that week.[13] The company also announced that Jacobs would not be re-nominated to its board of directors at the March 23 annual stockholder meeting. “The board reached that decision following his notification to the Board that he has decided to explore the possibility of making a proposal to acquire Qualcomm,” the company said, adding that its board will consist of 10 directors at the meeting.[14]

Awards and recognition

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In 2015 he received the Distinguished Industry Leader Award,[15] and in 2014 received the IEEE Ernst Weber Managerial Leadership Award.[16] His other awards include the 2013 Edison Achievement Award.

Personal life

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In 1993, Jacobs married Stacey Jacobs;[17][18] they had three children.[19] The couple divorced in 2013.[17][18] In 2016, he married French-Canadian Geneviève Tremblay;[20] they have two daughters together.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Globalstar appoints Dr. Paul Jacobs as Chief Executive Officer". Globalstar. August 29, 2023.
  2. ^ "Qualcomm Board Names Jeffrey Henderson Non-Executive Chairman". Qualcomm. March 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "Paul E. Jacobs Ph.D.: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  4. ^ San Diego Tribune: "Jacobs Brothers Finally Getting in the Hoops Business" by Kevin Acee March 30, 2013
  5. ^ "#20 Paul E Jacobs - Forbes.com". www.forbes.com. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "Today's CEO Leader in STEM: Dr. Paul E. Jacobs of Qualcomm Incorporated | STEMconnector Blog". blog.stemconnector.org. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  7. ^ "Qualcomm Leadership: Dr. Paul E. Jacobs". Qualcomm. April 28, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  8. ^ "The Technology CEO Council (TCC)". Technology CEO Council. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Paul Jacobs to step down as Qualcomm CEO; Steve Mollenkopf to take over, BGR.in
  10. ^ Windhorst, Brian (May 17, 2016). "Maloofs, Sacramento group agree". ESPN. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "NBA approves Kings sale to Sacramento group". NBA. AP. May 28, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  12. ^ "SD 500: Paul E. Jacobs". San Diego Business Journal. January 8, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Dana Cimilluca, David Benoit and Dana Mattioli (March 16, 2018). "Qualcomm Ousts Paul Jacobs From Board as He Chases Long-Shot Bid for Chip Giant". The Wall Street Journal. The New York Times, New York City, United States. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  14. ^ "Former Qualcomm CEO Wants to Take Company Private | Multichannel". www.multichannel.com. March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "Distinguished Industry Leader Award Winner Biographies". IEEE Communications Society. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "IEEE Ernst Weber Managerial Leadership Award". IEEE Communications Society. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  17. ^ a b San Diego Reader: "Amidst Jacobs family crack-ups, can charity prevail? - Facing fight over park bulldozing, San Diego's richest man endures domestic ruptures" by Matt Potter July 14, 2016 | Married in October 1991, the couple separated in September 2013, a month before their 22nd anniversary
  18. ^ a b San Diego Reader: "Irwin Jacobs' 50-year-old son, Jeff, pops question to 29-year-old La Jolla fashionista" by Matt Potter November 9, 2016
  19. ^ a b California Magazine UC Berkeley Alumni Association: "A Life And Career By Design: Qualcomm Exec Paul Jacobs - Engineer and Qualcomm Executive Chairman Paul Jacobs is 2017 Alumnus of the Year" By Bill Snyder Summer 2017 | He also gets some exercise keeping up with his youngest daughter, a toddler, born to Jacobs and his second wife, Geneviève, in 2016. His earlier marriage, to Stacy Jacobs (’84 B.A. in physiology, ’87 B.S. in optometry, and ’89 O.D.), produced three children but ended after nearly 22 years.
  20. ^ Montreal TV: "Le plus gros mariage de l’année à Montréal a eu lieu ce week-end avec Seal en vedette" June 2016
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