There was once a far-sighted government which, in 1967, gave one of its semiconductor companies a contract to instal an MOS process (a year before Intel was founded expressly to develop MOS memory).
At that time the far-sighted government was investing a third as much as the American government in chip R&D.
In 1968, however the semiconductor company was taken over and then, later in the same year, the acquiring company was itself taken over.
There years later the semiconductor company was closed down.
MORAL: M&A can be destructive.
I usually try to guess these based on my memory but this one happened while I was still in high school and not yet paying attention to the industry. (In fact, I was much more interested in playing British rock and roll in my electric guitar.)
Thanks to Google, I discovered that you are talking about the UK company Elliott Automation. I learned a bit industry history that I had not known.
Ah.
No doubt yet another example of the foresight of the Great Arnie.
When asked about my early career I tell people that I started with Marconi but after a series of takeovers I became yet another refugee from Weinstock's destruction and joined an American company.
Sounds like the wisest move you ever made, Chris. GEC was a depressing place to work ,whereas the US companies were fizzing with ideas at that time.
I too like to blame Weinstock for the destruction of the UK electronics industry through the past decades. However, hand-in-hand with him I would put the MoD. With cost+ contracts and restrictions on uses for any developed technology, where was the incentive to be commercial? Apart from the US, the countries that were forced out of military developments after WWII (due to them losing the war) are the ones that won commercially.