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Wei-Jen Lo Suspected of Taking Trade Secrets to Intel

A

Artificer60

Well-known member
It seems just prior to leaving TSMC Wei-Jen Lo requested several boxes of TSMC proprietary information. The article goes on to say that since he was retiring he was not asked to sign a non-compete agreement. There is suspicion that he has shared that information with Intel along with taking a position at Intel where he will be responsible for 'advanced equipment and module development from R&D up to pre-mass-production'.

I don't think that TSMC process information would have a lot of direct application at Intel as Intel 18A is in production and 14A has got to be pretty far along if they are going to be rolling out their 0.5 PDK in the next few months. That said, I believe that if he were to share the information with Intel it would help them in terms of competitive analysis.

The thing that makes me question this report is that Lip-Bu Tan has a reputation as a straight-shooter and I have trouble believing he would roll the dice on what essentially amounts to corporate espionage. Poaching talent? Sure. But stealing corporate secrets? Not so much.

 
Artificer60 said:
It seems just prior to leaving TSMC Wei-Jen Lo requested several boxes of TSMC proprietary information. The article goes on to say that since he was retiring he was not asked to sign a non-compete agreement. There is suspicion that he has shared that information with Intel along with taking a position at Intel where he will be responsible for 'advanced equipment and module development from R&D up to pre-mass-production'.

I don't think that TSMC process information would have a lot of direct application at Intel as Intel 18A is in production and 14A has got to be pretty far along if they are going to be rolling out their 0.5 PDK in the next few months. That said, I believe that if he were to share the information with Intel it would help them in terms of competitive analysis.

The thing that makes me question this report is that Lip-Bu Tan has a reputation as a straight-shooter and I have trouble believing he would roll the dice on what essentially amounts to corporate espionage. Poaching talent? Sure. But stealing corporate secrets? Not so much.

Click to expand...

I missed the announcement from Intel that Wei-Jen Lo was hired. I see announcements of other executives who joined Intel. If he did and brought secrets it will be a great shame for him and his family in Taiwan.
 
I certainly don't deny that possibility, but considering the excessive damage to Lapidus' reputation, I can't help but doubt it.
Do you really need to take the risk of litigation?
 
Artificer60 said:
It seems just prior to leaving TSMC Wei-Jen Lo requested several boxes of TSMC proprietary information. The article goes on to say that since he was retiring he was not asked to sign a non-compete agreement. There is suspicion that he has shared that information with Intel along with taking a position at Intel where he will be responsible for 'advanced equipment and module development from R&D up to pre-mass-production'.
Click to expand...
Some posts or news articles in Chinese mentioned that Lo wrote paper notes diligently when subordinates briefed him, i.e. the "boxes of TSMC proprietary information" mentioned could be handwriting notes.

Also, the good old days working with Michael Splinter and Andy Grove while at intel could be one of the reason why he boomerang back to Intel.
 
Last edited:
Daniel Nenni said:
An ongoing rumor that has now tarnished his legacy.

Intel and TSMC have traded employees for many years which is common in the semiconductor industry. Taking IP however is not. Hopefully the people who started this rumor will be held accountable.
Click to expand...

True or false, he has potentially become a poisoned apple for Intel. Intel and CEO Lip-Bu Tan have to consider their current and future relationship with TSMC, in addition to advancing Intel’s manufacturing capabilities.

TSMC doesn’t even need to go to court to make Intel understand that, if the accusation is true, it would not be good for Intel itself.
 
hist78 said:
True or false, he has potentially become a poisoned apple for Intel. Intel and CEO Lip-Bu Tan have to consider their current and future relationship with TSMC, in addition to advancing Intel’s manufacturing capabilities.

TSMC doesn’t even need to go to court to make Intel understand that, if the accusation is true, it would not be good for Intel itself.
Click to expand...
Why this should be the case he was former Intel employee Intel should have done the same thing when we went to TSMC.

It's up to the person to decide what to do ofc that doesn't mean he should steal works from one company to another
 
hist78 said:
True or false, he has potentially become a poisoned apple for Intel. Intel and CEO Lip-Bu Tan have to consider their current and future relationship with TSMC, in addition to advancing Intel’s manufacturing capabilities.

TSMC doesn’t even need to go to court to make Intel understand that, if the accusation is true, it would not be good for Intel itself.
Click to expand...

This is very true and CC Wei is not one you would want to do battle with. CC is very smart on so many levels and I am sure he knows Wei-Jen Lo personally. I really do think this is media click-bait, I certainly hope so.
 
It seems that Wei Jen Lo has an intel email address.

"Commercial Times reports that late last month, supply-chain sources indicated that Lo already has an active Intel email account—something TSMC’s top management is also said to be aware of."

This seems like more than just a consulting relationship if the report is true. I'm still skeptical that he intends to share any of TSMC's trade secrets, though. Intel needs his expertise on identifying and eliminating roadblocks to process development. They don't need someone to tell them how to develop a process, just how to do it efficiently.

www.trendforce.com

[News] Ex-TSMC SVP Wei-Jen Lo Moves to Intel: Sub-2nm Data Leak Concerns and TSMC Strategy in Focus

Fresh off a 2nm data leak involving its engineers in August, TSMC is now facing an even bigger headache: rumors that former Senior VP Wei-Jen Lo—who r...
www.trendforce.com www.trendforce.com
 
A more recent article confirming WJ Lo now works at Intel:

www.reuters.com

Taiwan prosecutors investigate ex-TSMC executive on chip security concerns

Taiwan is investigating a retired TSMC executive who recently joined Intel , the island's economy minister said on Wednesday, after local media reported that he may have taken the chipmaker's advanced technology data to his new employer.
www.reuters.com www.reuters.com

"A source familiar with the matter said Lo is currently working at the U.S. chipmaker and reports directly to Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan."
 
www.trendforce.com

[News] Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Denies Allegations That Former TSMC Exec Brought Trade Secrets In

With speculation mounting that former TSMC SVP Wei-Jen Lo may have taken key materials to Intel, the company’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan has spoken out in respon...
www.trendforce.com www.trendforce.com

With speculation mounting that former TSMC SVP Wei-Jen Lo may have taken key materials to Intel, the company’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan has spoken out in response. According to Bloomberg, Tan describes the claims as rumor and speculation, stressing that the company respects intellectual property.

As the report notes, Tan made the comments while attending the Semiconductor Industry Association Awards in San Jose on Thursday. At the event, TSMC CEO C.C. Wei and former Chairman Mark Liu were honored with the organization’s top distinction, the Robert N. Noyce Award.

Tan does not address the personnel matter directly, and TSMC has not filed a lawsuit against Lo at this stage, as noted by China Times. The outlet adds, citing sources, that the company is still working to clarify the situation and has begun internal fact-finding.

Meanwhile, according to China Times, Yeh Chun-hsien — head of Taiwan’s National Development Council (NDC), a TSMC board member, and the company’s largest individual shareholder — says Lo was reassigned from core units more than a year ago as he prepared for retirement, moving into non-core roles that did not involve access to trade secrets.

Yeh adds that the initial assessment suggests the impact is limited. As noted by Central News Agency, the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office says its Intellectual Property Branch has opened a case to determine whether any wrongdoing is involved.

After retiring from TSMC earlier this year, Lo went on to join Intel. As first reported by Liberty Times, Lo allegedly used his senior vice-president authority to instruct subordinates to brief him and copy sensitive TSMC materials related to 2nm, A16, A14, and other next-generation process technologies. Economic Daily News, citing sources, reports that he may have taken more than 20 boxes of handwritten documents compiled by his staff.
 
siliconbruh999 said:
Depends on what he wrote
Click to expand...
Fred Chen said:
With a good faith retirement, you don't need to take any work-related documents with you.
Click to expand...

If the accusation is true, Intel CEO Li-Bu Tan needs to address the incident clearly and swiftly, although not necessarily in public.

Otherwise, Intel should not complain about similar actions allegedly committed by its own former employees.

Daniel Nenni

Thread 'Intel worker fired, then disappears with 18,000 secret files in digital heist'

1762810986118.png


Synopsis
Intel is investigating a major internal security breach after a former software engineer allegedly stole 18,000 confidential files and vanished. The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the employee was notified of termination. During his final days with the company, he is said to have copied thousands of documents from his work computer onto external drives, including materials labeled “Top Secret” that contained sensitive information about Intel’s chip designs and future technologies.

Despite internal systems flagging suspicious activity, the data...
  • Like
  • Wow
  • Sad
 
Artificer60 said:
It seems that Wei Jen Lo has an intel email address.

"Commercial Times reports that late last month, supply-chain sources indicated that Lo already has an active Intel email account—something TSMC’s top management is also said to be aware of."
Click to expand...

This is just hard to believe. Lip-Bu and CC Wei know each other. TSMC is a critical supplier/partner to Intel. If Wei Jen Lo told TSMC he was retiring knowing full well that he would join Intel that is fraud. If he took 20 boxes of documents from TSMC while knowingly joining Intel that is IP theft. How did TSMC allow him to take 20 boxes? Unless he was going to retire and write a memoir? Knowing Lip-Bu this is very hard to believe. TSMC had to know that Wei Jen Lo was joining Intel.

Wei Jen Lo is 75 years old. He spent 18 years with Intel and 21 years with TSMC. He still owns millions of dollars worth of TSMC stock. Risking the legal liability of taking IP from one company to another? He would certainly know better than that. Did he not consult an attorney?

This has happened to TSMC before (Liang Mong-song / Samsung and Chiang Shang-yi / SMIC). I just cannot fathom how TSMC would allow it to happen again.
 
"CEO Lip-Bu Tan finally stepped out to steady the narrative. After a string of Taiwanese media reports suggested that former TSMC heavyweight Lo Wen-jen carried proprietary know-how with him when he moved to Intel, Tan told Bloomberg the claims are rumor and speculation, stressing that Intel respects intellectual property. His comments came in San Jose, at an industry event that happened to honor TSMC leaders C.C. Wei and Mark Liuan ironic backdrop for a story that has stirred investor nerves across the semiconductor supply chain."

I'm still bothered by the fact that Intel did not announce Wei Jen Lo joining the executive staff. Hopefully that will be corrected.

 
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