Friday, April 26, 2013

John Tu: The King of Kingston Technology



John Tu is an American philanthropist and entrepreneur, the co-founder of multinational computer technology company Kingston Technology. Born in China and raised in Taiwan, Tu studied in Germany at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt before moving to California where he lives today. Before Kingston Technology was established, he started out with Camintonn which Tu co-founded with David Sun in 1982. In 1986, they sold the company to found Kingston Technology.

The company went through a bit of trouble in 1996, pushing Tu to sell 80% of Kingston Technology for $1.5 billion, $100 million of which were spent as bonuses for employees. This was done out of Tu’s belief that the success of a company lies more in the positive attitude of employees and not just the best technologies. After three years, Kingston Technology bounced back and allowed Tu to buy back all of the company in 1999. In 2011, Tu is recognized as the 130th richest in the US and the 400th in the world.

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