Dado Banatao passed away on Christmas day. I knew him as tito (uncle) Dado, and my dad’s friend. But the world knew him as one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley, and one of the most influential Filipino technologists of our time. He grew up in humble beginnings in the Philippines, moved to Silicon Valley, invented foundational chip technologies, and helped shape an ENTIRE generation of computing. In many ways, he didn’t just succeed in tech, he helped kickstart it. Early in my career, I was invited to his office. I still remember how he spoke about his beginnings with so much grounding, while also talking about his companies and ambitions with incredible scale. Through PhilDev Foundation, he didn’t stop at his own success. He created pathways for Filipino engineers and founders to build, innovate, and believe they belonged in global tech. I’m remiss not to say this plainly: he was one of the quiet reasons I believed I could build in tech too. That someone who looked like me, came from where I came from, could create outsized impact and then open the door wider for others. Grateful for the inspiration, the example, and the legacy. Rest in peace, Tito Dado. View original post on LinkedIn.