In addition to a number of significant inventions improving wireless radio (RF) communication and voltage/power regulation devices, he is also the longest serving chief executive officer of a Silicon Valley company (Micrel Corporation, acquired in 2015 by Microchip Technology).

The eldest of 11 children, including six sisters and four brothers, Zinn was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and a strong work ethic was instilled at an early age by his parents.

He had a driver's license at 13 to chauffeur his siblings in a Ford pickup and work with water management officials in the dead of night to assure the family ranch received their allocation.

His interest in the space program and the desire to become an astronaut landed him a position at rocket motor manufacturing, United Technologies.

He left Fairchild in 1968 and subsequently held various executive management positions at several semiconductor-related companies, including Teledyne, Inc. (1966–69), Nortek Inc. (1971–73) and Electromask TRE (1973–76).

During this period, and later through Micrel, Zinn worked nearly every aspect of semiconductor management; sales, marketing, finance, accounting, wafer fab operations, assembly, packaging, test, quality assurance, and design.

While working as a sales representative at Electromask, Zinn conceptualized the Wafer Stepper and sold it, before it had been designed or engineered, to Texas Instruments.

Zinn's desire to remain independent led him at one time to personally guarantee $4 million in bank loans to keep Micrel afloat.

This technology forms the core of a number of devices, including (but not limited to) garage door openers and accompanying remote access; security or alarm systems and a remote access to activate and deactivate the security system; and low power, two-way radio communication devices.

[17] Zinn is also accredited with the development of the analog control of a digital decision process,[22] an achievement he shares with Peter Chambers and Scott Brown; a pulse frequency modulated voltage regulator with linear regulator control (in collaboration with Charles L. Vinn),[23] as well as: In 2015, Zinn wrote Tough Things First[27] (Published by McGraw Hill Education), in which he distilled his knowledge of leadership and management.

Tough Things First is an autobiographical treatise on the interaction of people, management, and leadership, Self-discipline and organization discipline, and the mechanics of enterprises.

"[33] Reed Wilcox, President of Southern Virginia University said of Tough Things First "Many business self-help books are by experts who study and talk to the people who actually do it, but have not lived it themselves.