Morris Chang

Morris Chang Chung-mou (Chinese: 張忠謀; pinyin: Zhāng Zhōngmóu; born July 10, 1931) is a Taiwanese billionaire business executive and electrical engineer. He is the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and was the company's chief executive officer (CEO) from 1987 to 2005, and its chairman until 2018. As of April 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$8.5 billion. Born in China, Chang lived in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States. After attending Harvard University, he graduated with three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and earned his doctorate from Stanford University in 1964. He began his career as a semiconductor engineer first at Sylvania Electric Products, then Texas Instruments, and, in 1984, became the president and chief operating officer of General Instrument. During the 1980s, Chang moved to Taiwan to serve as head of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). In 1987, he founded TSMC, the world's first semiconductor foundry, and is regarded as the founder of Taiwan's semiconductor industry. He pioneered the foundry model of semiconductor fabrication, leading TSMC to become the largest company in Taiwan and one of the world's largest semiconductor companies. President Tsai Ing-wen awarded him the Order of Propitious Clouds in 2018 and the Order of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 2024 for his contributions to technology development in Taiwan.