张忠谋概括称，自传下册将围绕“两大主轴”，分别是他在美国德州仪器的职业生涯，以及创立台积电。2009年时，77岁的张忠谋亲手撤换了蔡力行，再次出任台积电CEO，直至2018年86岁才退休。① The founder of taiwan semiconductor, Morris Chang, revealed in the second volume of his autobiography that he invited nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to take the position of taiwan semiconductor CEO twice in 2013, but was declined. ② Chang stated that Huang was one of the ideal candidates at the time due to his character, professional background, and knowledge of semiconductors. ③ Huang indicated that he already had a job, and Chang appreciated his honesty, maintaining a deep partnership between the two companies.
$Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM.US)$ The founder Morris Chang disclosed in the latest published second volume of his autobiography that he had sought Huang's willingness to take over as CEO of taiwan semiconductor twice in 2013, but was declined by him.
This Friday (November 29), "Morris Chang Autobiography: Volume Two 1964-2018" was officially published. Morris Chang retired in 2018, handing over the reins to Liu Deyin and Wei Zhejia, and he stated at that time that completing the second volume of his autobiography was one of the four things he wanted to do after retirement.
Chang summarized that the second volume of the autobiography will focus on "two main axes", namely his career at texas instruments in the USA and the founding of taiwan semiconductor. In 2009, at the age of 77, Chang personally replaced Morris Chang and resumed the position of taiwan semiconductor CEO, retiring at 86 in 2018.
The book mentions that during his search for successors for taiwan semiconductor in 2013, he had inquired about Huang. Chang stated in the book that he was familiar with many talents within the company, but external talents would provide different perspectives and experiences, which could be a good option.
Morris Chang stated in his memoir that Huang was one of the ideal candidates for the position of taiwan semiconductor CEO at that time, considering his character, professional background, and especially his knowledge of semiconductors, making him a very good option.
The memoir states that at the time, Zhang Zhongmou asked Jensen Huang if he was interested, and spent 10 minutes explaining his aspirations for taiwan semiconductor. Jensen Huang did not respond at first, he just listened attentively, and finally replied with, "I already have a job."
A few weeks later, Zhang Zhongmou called again to inquire, and Jensen Huang's response remained unchanged. Zhang Zhongmou believed that Jensen Huang's answer was very honest and greatly appreciated his achievements over the past 11 years, and the two companies later had a very deep partnership.
Currently, $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ and $Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM.US)$ it is the first and second most valuable publicly listed semiconductors in the world. As of Friday's close, taiwan semiconductor's market cap was nearly 960 billion USD, nvidia around 3.4 trillion USD, second only to apple globally.
Zhang Zhongmou pointed out that when he recruited Jensen Huang in 2013, the market cap of taiwan semiconductor was 90 billion USD, which was ten times that of nvidia at the time. This means that for Jensen Huang back then, the CEO position at taiwan semiconductor was a great job opportunity and was not beyond his reach.
It is worth mentioning that Jensen Huang's annual salary in 2007 reached 24.6 million USD, making him the 61st highest-paid CEO in the usa. Zhang Zhongmou said that although the compensation offered by taiwan semiconductor did not include stocks, the fixed salary plus bonuses would surely be higher than Jensen Huang's income at that time.
Editor/rice
