Paul E. Jacobs


Paul E. Jacobs is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Globalstar and the former executive chairman of Qualcomm.

Family and education

Jacobs was born to Joan and Irwin M. Jacobs. His father was co-founder of Linkabit and Qualcomm. He has three brothers: Gary E. Jacobs, Hal Jacobs, and Jeffrey A. Jacobs. His niece Sara Jacobs represents California's 53rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He earned a BSc in Engineering and Computer Science in 1984, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering in 1986, and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

Jacobs started at Qualcomm as an engineer in the wireless technology development group in 1990. He became president of Qualcomm Wireless and Internet Group in July 2001, and then the chief executive office of Qualcomm in July 2005. He became the executive chairman of Qualcomm in March 2009, a position he held until 2018.
In December 2013, Qualcomm announced that Jacobs would step down as CEO and be replaced by president and COO Steve Mollenkopf from March 2014.
On May 28, 2013, Jacobs, along with his three brothers, became minority owners in the Sacramento Kings in a partnership with Vivek Ranadivé and Mark Mastrov. The NBA approved the sale on May 28.
In 2016, Jacobs was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
In March 2018, Qualcomm announced that Jacobs would be stepping down as the company's executive chairman. On March 16, 2018, Qualcomm removed Jacobs from its board, after he "broached a long-shot bid" for a buyout earlier that week. The company also announced that Jacobs would not be re-nominated to its board of directors at the March 23 annual stockholder meeting. “The board reached that decision following his notification to the Board that he has decided to explore the possibility of making a proposal to acquire Qualcomm,” the company said, adding that its board will consist of 10 directors at the meeting.

Awards and recognition

In 2015, he received the Distinguished Industry Leader Award, and in 2014 received the IEEE Ernst Weber Managerial Leadership Award. His other awards include the 2013 Edison Achievement Award.

Personal life

In 1991, Jacobs married Stacy Bracken; they had three children. The couple divorced in 2016.
In 2016, he married French-Canadian Geneviève Tremblay, born in 1982 ; they have two daughters together. In April 2025 he filed for divorce from Tremblay.