Paul E. Jacobs (born October 30, 1962) is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Globalstar and the former executive chairman of Qualcomm.
Family and education
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).San Diego Tribune: "Jacobs Brothers Finally Getting in the Hoops Business" by Kevin Acee March 30, 2013 His niece Sara Jacobs represents 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.
Career Jacobs started at Qualcomm as an engineer in the wireless technology development group in 1990. He became president of Qualcomm Wireless and Internet Group in July 2001, and then the chief executive office (CEO) of Qualcomm in July 2005. He became the executive chairman of Qualcomm in March 2009, a position he held until 2018.
In December 2013, Qualcomm announced that Jacobs would step down as CEO and be replaced by president and COO Steve Mollenkopf from March 2014.Paul Jacobs to step down as Qualcomm CEO; Steve Mollenkopf to take over, BGR.in
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. The NBA approved the sale on May 28.
In 2016, Jacobs was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
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. 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.
Awards and recognition In 2015, he received the Distinguished Industry Leader Award, and in 2014 received the IEEE Ernst Weber Managerial Leadership Award. His other awards include the 2013 Edison Achievement Award.
Personal life In 1991, Jacobs married Stacy Bracken;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 anniversarySan Diego Reader: "Irwin Jacobs' 50-year-old son, Jeff, pops question to 29-year-old La Jolla fashionista" by Matt Potter November 9, 2016 they had three children.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. The couple divorced in 2016.
In 2016, he married French-Canadian Geneviève Tremblay, born in 1982 ; Montreal TV: "Le plus gros mariage de l’année à Montréal a eu lieu ce week-end avec Seal en vedette" June 2016 they have two daughters together.
References
External links
Paul E. Jacobs - Business Week