The same year he graduated from SJSU with a bachelor’s in chemistry, Brian Krzanich (krah-ZAN-nitch) took a job at an Intel chip factory in New Mexico.

Over the next three decades, he quietly worked his way to the top, becoming chief operating officer in January 2012 and CEO as of May 16.

Tough challenges remain for this 52-year-old Spartan. Though Intel is a Fortune 500 company with $53 billion in revenue, the company has struggled in recent years, with smartphone and tablet sales eclipsing personal computers, reducing demand for the “Intel inside” PC business that has long been the company’s bread and butter.

Analysts expect Krzanich to draw on traits that distinguish many SJSU graduates powering Silicon Valley, including practical skills and a can-do attitude. Krzanich will be “a good team player” as he makes plans to “move the company into new areas of growth,” according to Reuters.

“I look at this world and see all kinds of devices connected to computers, and people connected to it all the time,” Krzanich told the New York Times. “We can bring things to companies that others haven’t dreamed of.”

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