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TSMC (Remastered)

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

TSMC (Remastered)

Acquired

2025/01/21
Acquired

Acquired

2025/01/21
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

We dive into the unbelievable and unlikely history behind the quietest technology giant of them all: the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Founded in 1987 by the then-56 year old Morris Chang, already a legend in the semiconductor industry by virtue of his meteoric rise and fall at Texas Instruments, TSMC today manufactures nearly all the leading-edge chips for Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, Qualcomm, AMD, and yes — even Intel. Tune in for an incredible story of innovation, perseverance and lasers. Lots and lots of lasers! Note: this is a remastered version of our original 2021 episode. We don’t often re-release old episodes, but in this case we have a very timely reason for doing so. Stay tuned! :) Sponsors: Rippling: https://bit.ly/acquiredrippling [https://bit.ly/acquiredrippling] Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig25 [https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig25] Odd Lots: https://bit.ly/acquiredoddlots [https://bit.ly/acquiredoddlots] ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredsn [https://bit.ly/acquiredsn] Links: * Episode Sources [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rQMgQDY5c3Fs5DsjB4cZHVZGdhN4kK-6HapO_r7pjyQ/edit?usp=sharing] Carve Outs: * Ted Lasso (Season 1) [https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy] * Greek [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976014/] * Who is Michael Ovitz? [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B2HS77M/] More Acquired! * Get email updates [https://www.acquired.fm/email] with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes * Join the Slack [http://acquired.fm/slack] * Subscribe to ACQ2 [https://pod.link/acquiredlp] * Merch Store [https://www.acquired.fm/store]! © Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC ‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

Highlights

In the world of semiconductors, one company stands out not for flashy consumer products, but for its quiet dominance in manufacturing the most advanced chips on the planet. Founded by a visionary engineer who returned to the industry after a major setback, this company has become the backbone of modern computing. From humble beginnings to controlling the majority of the global chip supply, its journey is a story of resilience, foresight, and technological mastery.
00:00
TSMC manufactures leading-edge chips for major tech companies
11:41
Chose Sylvania over Ford due to a $1 salary difference
41:35
Morris Chang resigns from TI after stalled career progression
52:14
K.T. Lee asked Morris Chang to start a new semiconductor company in Taiwan and make it a global leader.
54:53
TSMC became the ninth most valuable company in the world.
1:02:48
TSMC was founded in 1987 with a $0 pre-money valuation.
1:13:44
Morris Chang is considered a hero by engineers for building TSMC's foundry model
1:24:01
ASML's EUV machines cost up to $300 million and require extreme precision to produce 5-nanometer chips.
1:38:50
Apple took a risk by relying on TSMC, which paid off greatly.
1:44:07
TSMC raises prices by 20%, signaling strong pricing power and a significant moat
1:47:17
TSMC controls over 90% of leading-edge chip manufacturing and nearly all the profit in the foundry sector.
2:06:22
Apple's decision to partner with Samsung over Intel reshaped the semiconductor industry.
2:17:00
TSMC is considered the most successful B2B hardware company, surpassing Intel.

Chapters

How a quiet giant became the world’s most important tech company
00:00
From war-torn China to the heart of Silicon Valley: Morris Chang’s journey
03:17
How Morris Chang rose at Texas Instruments—and why he never became CEO
19:19
The failure that sent Morris Chang back to Taiwan
44:12
What does a pure-play chip foundry even mean—and why was it revolutionary?
54:53
Who really builds the brains inside Apple’s iPhone?
1:02:48
How TSMC turned scraps into a global empire
1:13:44
Why only two companies now make the world’s most advanced chips
1:19:19
How Apple’s mobile ambitions reshaped the semiconductor industry
1:29:17
The staggering numbers behind TSMC’s rise to power
1:41:31
Could TSMC ever be replaced—or what happens if it can’t be?
1:47:17
What went wrong at Intel—and why Apple never looked back
2:03:54
What does TSMC’s future look like—and who could possibly challenge it?
2:14:09

Transcript

Ben Gilbert: Hello, Acquired listeners. We regularly get feedback that this episode on TSMC, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, is one of the best Acquired episodes ever. And interestingly, it predates our NVIDIA episodes. We did it way back i...