Acquired TSMC Founder Morris Chang
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Jan 27, 2025 
Morris Chang, the visionary founder of TSMC, shares his remarkable journey in the semiconductor industry. He recounts pivotal moments, like winning Apple's chip business and a critical 2009 dispute with NVIDIA. Chang emphasizes the importance of relationships in navigating business challenges and the strategic shifts TSMC made to meet technological demands. His insights into the rise of TSMC as a leading foundry and the broader semiconductor ecosystem are both enlightening and entertaining, making for a compelling conversation!
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Jensen's Hail Mary
- Jensen Huang reached out to Morris Chang in 1997, seeking TSMC as a foundry for NVIDIA.
- Chang, intrigued and slightly irritated by his team's prior dismissal of NVIDIA, met with Huang.
40nm Node Discrepancy
- In 2009, TSMC faced yield problems with its 40nm node, impacting major customers like NVIDIA.
- Chang, having stepped back in as CEO, prioritized resolving this dispute.
Layoff Controversy
- Chang returned as CEO partly due to a previous CEO's layoff approach during the 2008 financial crisis.
- He criticized using performance reviews for layoffs, finding them too subjective.