Morris Chang Net Worth

Morris Chang has an estimated net worth of $9.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Morris Chang profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1 billion in 2019.

Morris Chang is a Taiwanese business executive and electrical engineer best known for founding Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC. Before that, he worked at Sylvania Electric Products and then spent 25 years at Texas Instruments, rising to lead its worldwide semiconductor business. He later became president and chief operating officer of General Instrument in 1984. In the 1980s, he moved to Taiwan and led the Industrial Technology Research Institute, where the work that spun off TSMC took shape.

He founded TSMC in 1987 and ran it as chief executive officer until 2005, then stayed on as chairman until 2018. TSMC grew into one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers and serves major customers including Apple, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. Forbes tracks his wealth in semiconductors and placed him at $9.7 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker in October 2026. His career combined deep engineering experience with leadership across major chip businesses in the United States and Taiwan.

How Morris Chang built his fortune

Chang's wealth comes from semiconductors and, above all, from TSMC. He spent years inside the chip business before starting the company, first at Sylvania Electric Products and then during a 25-year run at Texas Instruments. After a short stint at General Instrument, he moved to Taiwan and led the Industrial Technology Research Institute. That research body helped spin off TSMC, which he founded in 1987 and guided for decades as chief executive officer and later chairman.

TSMC's scale helps explain why his fortune grew so much. Forbes says the company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of semiconductors, with customers that include Apple, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. The business has also expanded beyond Taiwan. In 2024, the first plant at its Phoenix site began production. That same year, TSMC broke ground in Dresden for its first factory in Europe and committed $3.8 billion for a 70% stake in the joint venture.

How Forbes' estimate changed

Forbes' estimate for Chang climbed sharply over time. He appeared at $1 billion on the Forbes World's Billionaires List in 2019. By 2023, that estimate was $2.3 billion. It then moved to $4.1 billion in 2025 and reached $8.4 billion on the 2026 Forbes World's Billionaires List. Those changes line up with TSMC's central place in chip manufacturing and its role serving major technology customers.

The latest reading is even higher than the annual 2026 list. Forbes showed Chang at $9.7 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker in October 2026. He retired from the chairman post in 2018, but his wealth is still tied to the company he built. TSMC's new manufacturing projects in Arizona and Germany, plus its roster of major chip customers, help explain why Forbes has valued his holdings much higher in recent years.