If/Then

View From The Top: “Lisa Su Is Still Curious About How Things Work”

11 snips
Aug 27, 2025
Lisa Su, the dynamic Chair and CEO of AMD, shares her remarkable journey from a first-generation immigrant to a tech leader. She talks about the importance of curiosity and lifelong learning, emphasizing that mentorship shaped her path. The conversation dives into AMD's innovative culture and the challenges posed by global geopolitics in the semiconductor industry. Su also sheds light on the strategic shift towards AI, balancing technological advancement with compliance, and offers insights into the competition between hardware giants like AMD and NVIDIA.
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ANECDOTE

How A Bunny Suit Sparked A Career

  • Lisa Su fell in love with semiconductors after a freshman part-time job in a semiconductor lab where she wore a bunny suit and ran experiments.
  • That hands-on exposure shaped her academic focus and launched her industry career in chips.
ADVICE

Choose Hard Problems To Unlock Creativity

  • Embrace hard problems because they galvanize teams to produce creative solutions and unlock resources you wouldn't otherwise get.
  • As a leader, focus teams on the most important, high-impact projects to achieve outsized results.
ADVICE

Bet On People With Stretch Assignments

  • Give high-potential people stretch roles with strong support instead of waiting for perfect readiness.
  • Rotate people through varied experiences every few years to broaden capabilities and prepare them for bigger roles.
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