Altera Awards $10,000 Grand Prize for Employee Referral.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1999--Altera Corporation (Nasdaq:ALTR) today announced that it has paid a $10,000 grand prize to one employee who referred a successful job candidate to Altera's Employee Referral Program this past year. The award reflects the company's continued recognition of referrals as a key tool for finding and hiring bright new talent. Roughly one-quarter of Altera's new-hires are identified through the referral program.

"It took several co-workers to convince me that I'd really won. I've never won anything before, so my immediate response was shock," said a smiling Celia Rodriguez, a senior accounting supervisor in Altera's finance department and this year's $10,000 winner. "With the winnings, I plan on taking my department out to lunch, and buying new furniture for my 6-foot-tall teenager who outgrew his current bed."

The $10,000 grand prize drawing is held early each year. Altera employees who referred a successful hire before September 30, 1998 were eligible for this year's grand prize drawing. Prior to the drawing, employees had already received awards between $500-$5000 per hired referral, based on the position the new employee filled.

"The employee referral bonuses and the $10,000 grand prize are well-spent incentives to help our employees refer qualified candidates," said Jack Fitzhenry, Altera vice president of human resources. "In our estimation, the Employee Referral Program has many advantages over other recruitment methods. For example, employees tend to only refer people they know will be successful."

Altera is currently hiring qualified people for a wide range of positions, both domestically and internationally. For a complete list of job opportunities, visit Altera on the Internet at http://www.altera.com and click on Employment.

About Altera

Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company(TM), was founded in 1983 and is a leading supplier of programmable logic devices and associated logic development software tools. Programmable logic devices are semiconductor chips that can be programmed on-site, using software tools that run on personal computers or engineering workstations. User benefits include ease of use, lower risk, and fast time-to-market. Altera's CMOS-based programmable logic devices address high-speed, high-density and low-power applications in the telecommunications, data communications, computer peripheral, and industrial markets. Altera common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera can be obtained on the Internet at http://www.altera.com.

Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company are trademarks and/or service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.