From the Editor
  • Tsai Ming-kai is the chairman of smartphone chipmaker MediaTek, which was spun off from another company he ran.
  • Faced with escalating competition in a plateauing sector, Tsai brought in Rick Tsai (who is not related) in 2018. Rick now serves as vice chairman and CEO.
  • Tsai studied electrical engineering first in Taiwan and later in the U.S.
Wealth History
HOVER TO REVEAL NET WORTH BY YEAR
Personal Stats
Age
75
Source of Wealth
Semiconductors, Self Made
Residence
Hsinchu, Taiwan
Citizenship
Taiwan
Marital Status
Married
Children
2
Education
Bachelor of Engineering, National Taiwan University; Master of Science in Engineering, University of Cincinnati
Did you know
Long-regarded as the father of Taiwan's chip-design industry, Tsai was nicknamed "King of the Bandit Phones" since MediaTek powered mainly low-end mobile phones.
Tsai joined United Microelectronics, one of Taiwan's earliest chip companies, in 1983 and climbed the ladder to run its consumer-and-multimedia product business.
Related People & Companies
Cho Jyh-jer
Cho Jyh-jer
Related by financial asset: Mediatek
View Profile
MediaTek
MediaTek
Holds stake in MediaTek
View Profile
Jason & Richard Chang
Jason & Richard Chang
Related by origin of wealth: Semiconductors
View Profile
Kwak Dong Shin
Kwak Dong Shin
Related by origin of wealth: Semiconductors
View Profile
Taiwan
Taiwan
Citizen of Taiwan
View Profile

More on Forbes

Sep 23, 2025

Raising Cane's: The Origin Story Of This $22 Billion Empire

In his early 20s, Todd Graves, dismissed by banks as a naive kid with a bad idea, turned his fanatic vision for chicken fingers into Raising Cane's. Now, Graves is worth $22 billion, and with over 900 locations, Raising Cane’s is one of America's fastest-growing fast-food chains.
Jun 4, 2025

Wu Brothers Unite To Form Taiwan’s Fourth Largest Financial Holding Company

Taiwan’s Taishin Holdings and Shin Kong Financial Holding, respectively founded by billionaire brothers Thomas Wu (No. 30, $2.2 billion) and Eugene Wu (No. 44, $1.6 billion), said last year that they would merge to create the island’s fourth-largest financial holding company with NT$8.3 trillion ($274 billion) in total assets.