Founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM, Financial), Morris Chang disclosed in his recently published autobiography that he asked Nvidia (NVDA, Financial) CEO Jensen Huang about succeeding him at TSMC ten years ago, but the offer was turned down within ten minutes.
According to Chang's memoir, which was published on Friday, Huang, who has managed Nvidia from its founding, apparently said, "I already have a job." The book covers 1964 to 2018, following Chang's career including 25 years at Texas Instruments and the formation of TSMC in 1987.
The memoir also explores TSMC's relationships with big customers like Apple (AAPL, Financial) and Qualcomm (QCOM, Financial) and notes how Intel turned down an invitation to invest in TSMC in the 1980s, only to subsequently grow to be a major customer. The book emphasizes Chang's 20-year friendship with Huang, and Huang regularly credits Chang for helping Nvidia to flourish. Though Huang objected, Chang thought of him as a perfect contender for TSMC's presidency in 2013 based on his semiconductor knowledge and professional accomplishments.
Based in California, Nvidia has grown to be a leader in artificial intelligence chipmaking, which helps to explain its ranking among the most valuable firms worldwide amid the AI explosion.
