ASML history files

A pep talk for ASML’s first crew of fifty

René Raaijmakers
Reading time: 5 minutes

CEO Gjalt Smit’s first team presentation at ASML had a big impact. One of the attendees looks back, while Smit outlines the background to this historic pep talk.

When it comes to corporate culture, ASML couldn’t have been worse off in its early days. The fifty technicians in the joint venture that had been spun out from Philips were burnt out. Their energy level had hit rock bottom. The team that was formerly part of Philips Science & Industry (S&I) was largely convinced that the litho activities had been separated with the premeditated aim of going bankrupt and thus sparing the parent company a financial blow.

Nevertheless, things turned around quickly. After a few years, many of the original fifty employees returned to the safe environment of Philips, with its generous pension scheme and scholarships for employees’ children. But the other part of the team was keen to get back into the swing of things.

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