Did chip espionage, IP theft give Samsung its 14nm manufacturing lead?

[dawheat]

It is a specific employee, and it was known from the moment he left that he had gone turncoat (his wife is Korean).

Example-wise, this is about morals and ethics. What defines a person as being trustworthy of not stealing you blind when you invite them over to your home for dinner on a Friday night.

The individual of interest here was an opportunist, the very sort of person who is readily recruited to sell out their home country as a spy for a little extra pocket money.

When your personal ethics are like that, of course you simply seek out the highest bidder and to hell with anyone that placed any trust in you.

Wut? Let's not get too high horse when it comes to corporate employment.

Companies have very little loyalty to people - if/when someone better/cheaper comes along, or when an acquisition results in "synergies", or when it's the annual let's cull the uppper middle managers who didn't make the jump to executive ranks - companies act in their own best interest.

As long as he didn't actually take documents, specifications, or any other internal documents with him, then calling him a spy is way out of line.

His lack of ethics was trying to get paid on both sides and frankly, I do think he should pay the stock proceeds back. But choosing to work for another company? Totally his choice and should not be criticized as long as he doesn't break his non-complete agreement. From the story line, TSMC had plenty of opportunities to make sure someone as valuable as him didn't get dissatisfied. But they didn't in his eyes and now they're just whining.

 

[witeken]

Define "we".

If you mean "me", IDC, then yes, I know. The maneuverings are right here, front and center in our faces in Asia.

But if you mean the rest of the world based on what can best be done to understand the situation by interpreting pseudo-random web articles, I fear the gravity of the situation is far too under-represented in the press.

Under-represented...

Are those things also happening in the USA? Intel, GF?

 

[III-V]

I'd imagine Idontcare has quite a bit of insider information. I wouldn't brush off his statements so easily.

 

[MisterMac]

Moar Insiderz IDC :O
MOAR

 

[gdansk]

TSMC is just another company. If they had offered him the raise he requested, or had given him a promotion, it may not have ended like this. But they don't value their engineers and so Samsung sniped him. TSMS's loss is entirely their own doing.

 

[dawheat]

I'd imagine Idontcare has quite a bit of insider information. I wouldn't brush off his statements so easily.

Fair and good point.

But I also think for those who've been in the corporate workforce long enough are not under any illusion of how most companies view their employees.

 

[coercitiv]

Are those things also happening in the USA? Intel, GF?

I doubt they could happen at the same scale in the USA. Different cultures, different legislation... even a start screen might be expensive in the western world

 

[ehume]

TSMC is just another company. If they had offered him the raise he requested, or had given him a promotion, it may not have ended like this. But they don't value their engineers and so Samsung sniped him. TSMS's loss is entirely their own doing.

I doubt they could happen at the same scale in the USA. Different cultures, different legislation... even a start screen might be expensive in the western world

Who remembers why Benedict Arnold crossed over to work for a competitor? Who remembers how he was passed over for a promotion . . .

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Fair and good point.

But I also think for those who've been in the corporate workforce long enough are not under any illusion of how most companies view their employees.

Yup. My loyalty to the company is renewed every two weeks