Widlar's first assignment at Fairchild targeted IC reliability through adjustments in fabrication processes. The division head, John Hulme, hired Widlar despite objections from the first round interviewers. Widlar was sent to another interview with the company's Applications Engineering division, which was based in Mountain View, California. Widlar arrived at the interview intoxicated, and frankly told Ruegg what he thought about Fairchild's analog circuits: 'What they are doing is bullshit'.
In September 1963 Widlar was invited for an interview with Fairchild research and development (R&D) manager Heinz Ruegg.
According to Thomas Lee, Fairchild also wanted to have Widlar on board, and breached professional ethics by recruiting a key employee of their customer. Widlar decided to move to a semiconductor manufacturing company, and in 1963 Jerry Sanders, a Fairchild Semiconductor salesman, provided him the opportunity. Work at Ball Research brought Widlar in contact with Jean Hoerni and Sheldon Roberts, the creators of radiation hardened transistors and co-founders of Fairchild Semiconductor.
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