Texas Instruments has long been prized for its predictability, but the chip maker is capable of springing the occasional surprise.
They range from the rapid ouster of the long-groomed replacement for its chief executive in 2018 to its decision to build up inventory in 2020, early in the pandemic. The latter turned out to be especially prescient given the production shortage that hobbled chip supplies across the globe. That stockpile helped Texas Instruments boost revenue by 27% in 2021—its best annual pace in more than a decade.
