Q: You are the first person from the business world to have been invited to the presidential building to deliver a special report at the monthly Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Assembly. How did you come up with the concept of a high-tech island? Can you explain the gist of your idea?
A: The general topic was given to me by the National Science Council, since they wanted me to talk about the prospects for high-tech industry in the private sector. The title I set was "Taiwan: The Future High-Tech Island of Global Corporate Citizens." I feel that these two simple ideas may serve as the main direction for Taiwan's future economic development.
Taiwan's economy is facing a transition period in which not only is high-tech industry needed in itself but in which high technology, such as computerization and automation, must also be adopted by traditional industry to raise productivity. In order to utilize land resources more effectively for balanced development, we should build up Taiwan into a high-tech island.
On the other hand, Taiwan's land area occupies less than one percent of the world's surface and our main markets are overseas, so how can we effectively internationalize our industries? In today's strong protectionist climate, the method of being "global citizens" can give us the best results. Put yourself in their place and think: Would you welcome a multinational corporation that didn't hire local nationals? A company that trains people from your own country, introduces advanced techniques, looks after the local community, and grows with you together--that's the kind of company you welcome. That's what we've got to do if we want to put down roots overseas. . . .
So there are a lot of ideas here; the question is, if we want to continue to be effective, we have to put them into action. Whether or not the government acts is one thing--I believe it will--but Acer, at least, is moving in this direction, full speed ahead. It's just that our powers are comparatively limited. If more industries and even the government can join forces, then our hopes will be that much greater.
Q: In what ways do you hope for the government to cooperate?
A: Some of the things that it should already have done, it should hurry up and do! Such as manpower training, establishing a parts industry, developing transportation, and so forth. Also, it should make use of all sorts of communication channels to tell the public: This is the goal that the administration is headed toward.
We don't think should there should be investment incentives, so we're not asking the government to distort the nation's allocation of resources, and my report never said to abandon traditional industry. Traditional industry created the economic base we have today, and it has greater resources than high-tech industry. If these resources can be transformed in a planned and effective way, it will contribute even more toward the national interest than high-tech industry. So I'm neutral. When the government goes about informing the public on the goal of a high-tech island, it also should make this point clear.
Q: You want to join with six other computer makers in setting up a large joint trading company. How do you go about bringing everybody together?
A: I set up a model business partnership twelve years ago. That partnership was between individuals. The trading company is a partnership between legal entities; that is, cooperation among companies. So at least there's a successful model before us. They see that I was fair and reasonable and worked well with everybody and encouraged communication to succeed in the past.
Q: Now that you have proposed that Taiwan move in the direction of becoming a high-tech island, what kind of goals do you have for Acer in the future?
A: I think that Acer's future goal is to become "a global citizen from a high-tech island based in the Republic of China." In the long run, I hope, if you asked someone in France thirty years from now what country Acer is from, he'd say it's French, and someone in the U.S. would say it's American. Or at least they'd say it's a Taiwan company, but it's very French or American or whatever.
Q: And as for yourself? Some people say you're a new Wang Yung-ch'ing. What's your view?
A: Completely different. The times are different, and the concepts aren't the same either. He's a business genius and a total leader in his industry, but his line is related more to machines than to people. The management system and methods he used are completely correct for his industry.
But the objective circumstances that we face are very different. High-tech industry is closely related to people and in a state of transition, and we're still feeling our way. Even though we've developed some preliminary models, the future is still changing, and we have to wait and see.
Q: Why did you go out and find Dr. Leonard Ying-Wu Liu to take over for you as president? How will you divide work between you in the future?
A: Computers are a high-tech product that is getting more and more complex, and since Acer announced last September that it wants to try to become number one in the world, we have to put our words into action.
I worked my way up to computers from calculators and electronic watches, but software and information is not my field. Dr. Liu was manager of IBM's software laboratory at Santa Teresa and also managed several thousand employees and led in the development of many well-known products in their manufacturing divisions in the U.S., Great Britain, and Japan. His bringing his twenty years of experience from IBM has a specially great meaning for us.
After he formally joins our company on the 24th of this month, he will be president of the Acer Group and the chairman as well as CEO of Acer America Corp. I will remain Acer's chairman of the board and CEO. In fact, I was chairman of the board to begin with, but I always used the title president because in Taiwan people think of a chairman of the board as someone with lots of money and a big belly who doesn't do anything. [Laughter.] I don't think I look like someone with a lot of money, so I've never dared to call myself chairman of the board.
In the future, Dr. Liu will be in charge of Acer's U.S. companies, international marketing, related industries, and personal computer group, and I'll handle central management and set the major direction of development policy.
[Picture Caption]
"If Taiwan achieves the status of a high-tech island, then the image of its other products will pick up as well."
"We used to worry about the outflow of talented people and even believed that the U.S. was taking advantage of us. But now I think we should thank it instead, for training so many talented people for us."
"In the future I'll just try to do my best. Three years in a row of growth less than 15 percent will be the time I retire."
"Acer's future goal is to become a global citizen from a high-tech island based in the Republic of China.
"We used to worry about the outflow of talented people and even believed that the U.S. was taking advantage of us. But now I think we should thank it instead, for training so many talented people for us.".
"In the future I'll just try to do my best. Three years in a row of growth less than 15 percent will be the time I retire.".
"Acer's future goal is to become a global citizen from a high-tech island based in the Republic of China.
"Acer's future goal is to become a global citizen from a high-tech island based in the Republic of China.
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