Attention Economy


Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Chip Building in America

Inside Taiwanese Chip Giant, a U.S. Expansion Stokes Tensions
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/22/technology/tsmc-arizona-factory-tensions.html
Some TSMC engineers said they were concerned about how the Arizona factory would blend American and Taiwanese employees. In Taiwan, engineers work long hours and weekend shifts, joking that they “sell liver” to work for the chip manufacturer, they said. Such sacrifices may be less appealing to employees in the United States, they said.
Wayne Chiu, an engineer who left TSMC last year, said he had thought about joining the company’s overseas expansion drive but lost interest after realizing he would likely have to pick up the slack for U.S. hires.
“The most difficult thing about wafer manufacturing is not technology,” he said. “The most difficult thing is personnel management. Americans are the worst at this, because Americans are the most difficult to manage.” 

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