Xilinx was one of the most lucrative franchises which Memec ever signed. Dick Skipworth, Founder and CEO of Memec, which he grew to be the third largest distributor in the world until it was taken over by Avnet, tells how he bagged up Xilinx. Memec subsequently held the Xilinx franchise for over twenty years.
“Gamil Haddad and I went to to see Xilinx, and met Bernie Vonderschmitt, Ross Freeman and Jim Burnett”, recalls Skipworth, "they'd just moved into their first building and there were packing cases all over the place."
Vonderschmitt, Freeman and Burnett were the founders of Xilinx.
“We asked them "What are you doing?" remembers Skipworth
"They said: ‘Flexible logic’."
“We had a chat and exchanged business cards and, after we'd left Gamil asks me: ‘What's flexible logic?’"
“I said: ‘I don't know. I thought you did’."
“Gamil replied ‘I don't know either’.”
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