YOU ARE AT:5GFormer Qualcomm execs Jacobs, Grob, Aberle form 5G startup XCOM

Former Qualcomm execs Jacobs, Grob, Aberle form 5G startup XCOM

Former Qualcomm executives are starting a new 5G company to focus on wireless technologies for mobile. Paul Jacobs, the former CEO and chairman of Qualcomm, is joined by former CTO Matt Grob and former President Derek Aberle in forming the company XCOM.

XCOM, launched yesterday, will focus on designing advanced wireless technology.

Jacobs will be XCOM’s CEO and chairman, with Grobb heading up development as CTO and Aberle as president and COO. XCOM is based in San Diego, Calif., where Qualcomm is also based.

Jacobs, the son of Qualcomm’s co-founder Irwin Jacobs, was ousted by Qualcomm’s board earlier this year after he said he wanted to take Qualcomm private. Qualcomm avoided a hostile takeover bid by Broadcom earlier this year that was ultimately blocked by the Trump administration and is still in the process of trying to complete its purchase of NXP.

Grob, former CTO of Qualcomm left Qualcomm suddenly in May, announcing his departure on Twitter. Grob worked at Qualcomm since 1991, when he started as an engineer. He rose through the ranks to become CTO in 2011. At Qualcomm, Aberle headed the patent-licensing business.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Jacobs and Aberle are still trying to buy Qualcomm even as they get their new company off the ground. The founders are funding XCOM for an undisclosed amount.

XCOM’s web presence is minimal at this point: just three pages. XCOM’s website says XCOM is “inventing and investing in wireless technologies to propel the next mobile revolution.” Needless to say, the company is hiring.

Startup XCOM
The home page of XCOM’s website.

 

ABOUT AUTHOR

Susan Rambo
Susan Rambo
Susan Rambo covers 5G for RCR Wireless News. Prior to RCR Wireless, she was executive editor on EE Times, Embedded.com, EDN.com, Planet Analog and EBNOnline. She served also EE Times’ editor in chief and the managing editor for Embedded Systems Programing magazine, a popular how-to design magazine for embedded systems programmers. Her BA in fine art from UCLA is augmented with a copyediting certificate and design coursework from UC Berkeley and UCSC Extensions, respectively. After straddling the line between art and science for years, science may be winning. She is an amateur astronomer who lugs her telescope to outreach events at local schools. She loves to hear about the life cycle of stars and semiconductors alike. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow her on Twitter @susanm_rambo.