TSMC and Nvidia CEOs Skip Trump Inauguration

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) CEO C.C. Wei and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have both opted not to attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, unlike other tech leaders such as Apple’s Tim Cook and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Wei attributed TSMC's decision to skilled labor shortages and regulatory challenges delaying their Arizona chip plant, while emphasizing that Taiwan will retain the most advanced chip technology. Wei also seeks to maintain a low profile due to Trump's past criticisms of Taiwan's impact on the U.S. chip industry. Meanwhile, Huang, who is on a trip to East Asia, will also miss the event despite previously expressing support for Trump's administration. Both executives are navigating recent regulatory measures from the outgoing Biden administration aimed at controlling advanced technology exports. Nonetheless, the semiconductor industry will be represented at the inauguration by leaders like Arm Holdings CEO Rene Haas.