Atilla Tinic spent three decades in the telecommunications sector, but it was his most-recent role in the field—serving as chief information officer at EchoStar—that inspired his next gig as CIO at semiconductor company Qualcomm.
During Tinic’s time at EchoStar, the satellite internet provider had grand ambitions to become the U.S.’s fourth major carrier under its Dish brand, a diversification plan that didn’t exactly pan out as envisioned. Last year, Dish ditched those aspirations, and in June 2026, the subsidiary filed for bankruptcy after deals to sell spectrum licenses to AT&T and SpaceX hadn’t closed in time.
