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The person who did most of the work creating the company people around the world almost immediately associate with Taiwan has no ancestors from this island, was not born here, didn't go to school here, and only came here for the first time when he was almost 40 years old. But, of course, Morris Chang 張忠謀 didn't create Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) out of thin air, nor was he the sole person who set up the famous Taiwanese microchip powerhouse.
He had partners, backers, and more than a little assistance from the Taiwanese government. Check out this fascinating story on Formosa Files.
Cover: On the far right, Morris Chang 張忠謀, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), on the left is the TMSC logo, and the photo in the background shows TSMC factories in Taichung's Central Taiwan Science Park. All pics via Wikimedia Commons.
Below: Former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen confers the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon on Morris Chang in 2018.
As of this recording, the retired Morris Chang has a net worth of over US$3 billion and remains incredibly active, despite celebrating his 93rd birthday in early July.
WATCH: video from Asianometry on TSMC.
Book recommendation (and source of material for this episode.
Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology – 2022
An American 1979-model Speak & Spell with chiclet keyboard. Via Wikimedia Commons.
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Check our very first episode, the story of a very white man who showed up in London in 1703... and claimed to be from Formosa. Or try a foodie episode from Season 3. Or, for those who want some harder-core history, hear the tale of the Lockheed U-2 pilot Wang Hsi-chueh 王錫爵, who became famous for defecting to the PRC by hijacking China Airlines Flight 334 on May 3, 1986.
