Lawson joined Fairchild Semiconductor, a pioneering company in the semiconductor industry. This marked the beginning of his professional career in the field of electronic engineering.

Lawson's skills and experience led to his appointment as Director of Engineering and Marketing for Fairchild's video game division. This placed him in a leadership position, responsible for driving the technical direction of the company's gaming efforts.

Under Lawson's leadership, Fairchild developed the Channel F, the first ROM cartridge-based video game console. This was a major breakthrough, as it allowed users to play different games on the same console by simply swapping cartridges, paving the way for the modern video game industry.

The Fairchild Channel F was released to the public, making history as the first console to use interchangeable ROM cartridges. While it faced competition from the Atari VCS (later known as the Atari 2600), it remains a significant milestone in video game history.

Lawson left Fairchild Semiconductor, likely due to the changing landscape of the video game industry and the company's strategic shift. Despite leaving Fairchild, his work on the Channel F had already cemented his legacy.