Why Roy Clay Sr. is called the Godfather of Silicon Valley

This interview aired in the April 10, 2023 episode of Crosscurrents.

Roy Clay Sr. was born in 1929. After growing up and studying mathematics in segregated Missouri, he moved to the Bay Area. Roy worked as a computer programmer and became lead developer of the first HP minicomputer. He’s a man of firsts: the first Black executive at Hewlett-Packard, the first African-American elected to Palo Alto’s city council and there’s so much more.

Roy’s autobiography is Unstoppable: The Unlikely Story of a Silicon Valley Godfather. It was a pick for Stephen Curry’s book club. KALW's Jenee Darden spoke with Roy's son Chris Clay because Roy was not available to be interviewed due to health reasons.

This interview was co-produced with Porfirio Rangel