AI Summary
5 min read🎙️ The Voices & The Context
- The Format: This is a rare, intimate interview. Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal (hosts of the podcast Acquired) sit down with Dr. Morris Chang, the 93-year-old founder of TSMC, in his Taipei office. The episode is framed as a historical conversation, with the hosts adding a "playbook" analysis afterward.
- The Key Players:
- Dr. Morris Chang: The legendary founder of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). He is the central figure, sharing first-hand accounts of the company's most pivotal moments.
- Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal: The hosts. They act as curious, respectful interviewers, guiding the conversation through key stories from TSMC's history.
- The Vibe: Educational and Reverent. The tone is serious and focused on business history and strategy. There is a clear sense of awe from the hosts at being in the presence of a titan of industry.
🗝️ Key Themes & Topics
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Dr. Morris Chang, Founder of TSMC**
- 2 (03:08) **The Jensen & NVIDIA Origin Story**
- 3 (09:19) **The 40 Nanometer Crisis & Retaking the CEO Role**
- 4 (20:49) **Resolving the NVIDIA Dispute with a Personal Touch**
- 5 (38:10) **Betting the Company on 28 Nanometers**
- 6 (51:40) **The Apple Courtship Begins (The Dinner with Jeff Williams)**
- 7 (80:31) **Financing the Apple Deal**
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
We flew to Taiwan to interview TSMC Founder Morris Chang in a rare English interview. In fact, the last long-form video interview we could find was 17 years ago at the Computer History Museum… conducted by the one-and-only Jensen Huang! This episode came about after asking ourselves a version of the Jeff Bezos “regret minimization” question: what conversations would we most regret not having if the chance passed Acquired by? Dr. Chang was number one on our list, and thanks to a little help from Jensen himself, we’re so happy to make it happen.
Dr. Chang shares the stories of a few crucial moments from TSMC’s history which have only been written about in his (currently Chinese-only) memoirs, including how TSMC won Apple’s iPhone and Mac chip business and a 2009 discrepancy with NVIDIA that almost jeopardized their relationship, and the lessons he took from them. We can’t think of a better way to kick off 2025. Please enjoy!
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