TSMC stake slumps 4.66% on lawsuit against former executive Lo Wei Jen for leaking trade secrets to Intel — All we know

Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) fell 4.66% to 187.64 Taiwan dollars on Nov. 25, from a previous close of 192.30 Taiwan dollars, on news that the chipmaker is suing a former executive for allegedly leaking its trade secrets to rival Intel.

According to AFP, TSMC said in a statement that it filed a lawsuit against former senior vice president Lo Wei-Jen, alleging that he was likely to leak trade secrets to his new employer, Intel, which he joined as vice president after retiring in July 2025.

Intel did not respond to questions from AFP, Bloomberg and Reuters. Lo did not respond to requests from Reuters and Bloomberg.

What is the lawsuit claim?

TSMC said in its statement that a lawsuit was filed with the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court based on regulations such as Lo’s employment contract terms, non-competition agreement and Trade Secrets Law.

“There is a high probability that Lo may have used, leaked, disclosed, communicated or transferred TSMC’s trade secrets and confidential information to Intel,” TSMC said.

The company added that while Lo was transferred to TSMC’s Corporate Strategy Department in March 2024, he allegedly continued to meet with staff from the Research and Development departments “to provide him with information to understand advanced technologies currently being developed and planned to be developed by TSMC.”

It was also stated that Lo signed confidentiality and non-competition agreements with TSMC and claimed in his exit interview with TSMC’s lawyer that he planned to join an “academic institution.”

Taiwan government is monitoring developments closely

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a statement on the development, saying it would “closely monitor any impact on the industry” and work with prosecutors and investigators to determine whether the case involved “violations of the National Security Law,” according to an AFP report.

Reuters reported that Taiwan’s economy minister said last week that authorities were investigating Lo after local media reported that TSMC may have taken high-tech data to his new employer.

Specifically, when Bloomberg asked about the allegations last week, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan denied it and said that the company respects intellectual property rights.

TSMC, valued at over $1.15 trillion, is among the biggest beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence (AI) wave.

Who is Lo Wei-Jen?

Lo Wei Jen (75) joined Intel in October 2025 after retiring from TSMC in July this year following a 21-year career at the chipmaking giant. At Intel, Lo reports directly to CEO Tan, a source told Reuters.

Lo worked at Intel for 18 years before joining TSMC in 2004, it said, adding that TSMC helped support mass production of cutting-edge 5 nanometer, 3 nm and 2 nm chips.

During his former role at Intel, Lo served as director of technology development and plant manager, managing Intel’s development facility in Santa Clara, California.

Bloomberg reported that during his tenure at TSMC, he held positions responsible for research and technology development and supported mass production of chips used to make artificial intelligence accelerators.

(With input from institutions)