Adam Tachner – Cross-Functional Business Leadership for High-Growth Semiconductor Companies

Adam Tachner is a registered patent attorney who has provided high-growth technology companies with cross-functional business leadership since 1994. He has extensive experience representing semiconductor companies, serving as chief legal officer of Atheros Communications (acquired by Qualcomm for $3.6B in 2015) before helping prepare it for its 2017 sale to TDK.

Early Life and Education

As a child, Tachner wasn’t sure of his career goals and found himself “pretty disoriented until his twenties”. After attending Oregon School of Law and California State University Fullerton for education purposes, he became a patent attorney at Crosby, Heafy Roach & May, P.C. where he managed intellectual property acquisition, licensing, strategic litigation in fields as diverse as wireless communications semiconductors, networking protocols, electronic design automation software applications and programmable logic technologies.

From 1995 to 2000, he served as outside patent counsel to 3Tera’s founding companies Object Dynamics and Z-force, from where they came.

Kane County Chronicle published a story in which Tachner met Charles Sehe from Geneva when they both served on board the USS Nevada during D-Day’s invasion of Normandy on June 6th 1944.

Professional Career

Adam Tachner is a seasoned technology executive with extensive cross-functional business leadership experience. He brings deep legal, intellectual property, and key business functions expertise from serving as Vice President of Corporate Development & General Counsel of Google Access division and then at Atheros Communications before its acquisition by Qualcomm for $3.6B in 2011 (advising them during its 2017 sale to TDK).

Tilley earned his JD from the University of Oregon School of Law and his BSEE at Cal State Fullerton, and began his legal career at Crosby Heafey Roach & May (now ReedSmith). Tilley represented Atheros on its IPO and subsequent $3.6 billion acquisition by Qualcomm; Barefoot Networks sold to Intel in 2017 when Tilley advised. Today he serves as Vice President and General Counsel of InvenSence Inc, providing motion tracking system-on-chip devices.

Personal Life

Tachner began his legal career as an associate at Crosby Heafey Roach & May law firm, where he specialized in patent procurement, licensing and strategic patent strategy for high-growth semiconductor companies. Additionally, Tachner has extensive experience representing clients involved with intellectual property litigation related to wireless communications technologies, programmable logic devices and chip manufacturing processes.

Formerly, he served as Vice President and General Counsel of Google Access division, as well as previously serving as Fabless MEMS Leader of InvenSense (now part of TDK’s sensor division), where he oversaw their rapid expansion from pre-revenue innovator to IPO and subsequent sale for over $3.6B by Qualcomm Inc.

Tachner lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, two rad kids, and an impostor Goldendoodle who claims he’s part Chihuahua.

Net Worth

Adam Tachner has long provided high-growth semiconductor companies with the cross-functional business leadership necessary to compete successfully in increasingly challenging markets. While leading legal and IP functions at Atheros Communications (acquired by Qualcomm for $3.6B in 2011) and InvenSense fabless MEMS leader InvenSense now part of TDK sensor division, he helped position both companies for rapid expansion and successful IPOs. Adam holds both an Juris Doctor degree from University of Oregon School of Law as well as a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering degree from California State University Fullerton.

Most recently, he served as Vice President Corporate Development and General Counsel of Google Access; earlier he held this title at InvenSense (now part of TDK). In this capacity, he will oversee all legal affairs, intellectual property strategies and related legal strategies worldwide for both companies.