David Teichmann became the general counsel of Trident Microsystems Inc. in spring 2007, shortly after Chief Executive Officer and founder Frank Lin was asked to leave in connection with stock option backdating allegations. Teichmann admits to some concern at the time about joining the Silicon Valley semiconductor company, but he was inspired by the opportunity to revitalize its corporate governance culture and to “reboot” Trident.
“It seemed like a real strong intellectual challenge,” he said, “and since I had nothing to do with any of the activity, I was coming in clean and fresh. It gave me an opportunity to put a stamp on things and maybe help influence how the company developed.”
