Henry Samueli

Henry Samueli
Born	(1954-09-20) September 20, 1954 United States
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, engineer, philanthropist, professor (on leave)
Known for	Co-founder of Broadcom Corporation; proprietor of the Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Notable work	75 U.S. patents; innovations in broadband communications system-on-chip technology

Henry Samueli (born September 20, 1954) is an American entrepreneur and engineer, recognized as the co-founder of Broadcom Corporation and the proprietor of the Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He holds the position of chairman at Broadcom Inc and is a notable philanthropist based in Orange County, California. Additionally, Samueli is a professor (currently on leave) in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA and serves as an adjunct faculty member at UC Irvine.

He has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology as well as National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan.

Samueli is credited as an inventor on 75 U.S. patents and has been named a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his work on VLSI architectures related to high-bit rate digital communication systems. He is also inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was honored with election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 for his groundbreaking contributions to broadband communications system-on-chip technology. In 2012, he was awarded the distinguished Marconi Prize for innovations in analog and mixed signal circuits, particularly for the development of the cable modem.

As reported on December 17, 2024, Samueli ranks as the 80th richest individual worldwide, with an estimated net worth near US$25.3 billion according to Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Early life and education

Born to Sala and Aron, Polish-Jewish immigrants who survived Nazi-occupied Europe, Samueli’s family arrived in the United States with minimal resources. He spent part of his youth working in his family’s liquor store located in Los Angeles and attended Bancroft Junior High followed by Fairfax High School. His fascination with electronics began during a shop class where he constructed an AM/FM radio.

Samueli completed all his degrees—bachelor’s (1975), master’s (1976), and Ph.D. (1980)—in electrical engineering at UCLA. His doctoral research, supervised by Alan N. Willson Jr., concentrated on digital filter design.

Broadcom origins

In 1991, while serving as a UCLA professor, Samueli partnered with his Ph.D. student Henry Nicholas to establish Broadcom Corporation. Each contributed $5,000 to launch the business initially operating out of Nicholas’ residence in Redondo Beach. Their first official office opened near UCLA in 1992, relocating to Irvine in 1995 when Samueli took a leave from UCLA to dedicate himself fully to Broadcom. The company went public three years afterward. Although still on leave, Samueli remains listed on UCLA's Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty roster.

Anaheim Ducks ownership

The Samuelis took over management of the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim in 2003 by creating Anaheim Arena Management, LLC to handle arena operations. Two years later, in 2005, they acquired the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL franchise from the Walt Disney Company for $75 million. The team was rebranded as the Anaheim Ducks in 2006 alongside renaming their home venue to the Honda Center. The Ducks captured their first Stanley Cup championship in 2007, marking them as the inaugural California-based team to achieve this feat.

By December 2016, Henry Samueli held a position on the NHL Board of Governors executive committee.

In 2015, the Samuelis purchased the Ducks’ AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, moving and rebranding them as the San Diego Gulls to facilitate AHL expansion into western markets.

Forbes valued the Anaheim Ducks franchise at $415 million by 2017.

Philanthropy

After Broadcom's initial public offering in 1998, the Samueli Foundation was created with a mission centered on advancing education, healthcare, youth programs, and Jewish cultural initiatives. In 2012, the Samuelis committed to the Giving Pledge, dedicating the majority of their fortune to charitable causes.

Drawing from Henry Samueli’s engineering expertise, their early philanthropic efforts prioritized support for the engineering faculties at UCLA and UC Irvine, both of which now carry his name. In 2009, he co-established and currently chairs the Broadcom Foundation, which fosters STEM education through initiatives such as Broadcom MASTERS. The Samuelis underwrite the $25,000 grand prize awarded in this competition.

Susan Samueli’s philanthropic focus includes complementary and integrative medicine. Together, they founded the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine in 2001 and have contributed to cancer research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Their landmark $200 million donation in 2017 enabled UC Irvine to establish the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to integrative health.

Additional notable naming contributions include the Samueli Theater (2000), the Samueli Jewish Campus (2001), Chapman University’s Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library (2003), and the Samueli Academy charter high school (2013).

In recognition of his global innovation impact, Henry Samueli received an award from the Israeli government in 2015. Furthermore, he was honored as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2017, which represents its highest accolade for academic inventors.

To date, the Samuelis have donated over $500 million toward philanthropic endeavors. In June 2019, they gifted $100 million to UCLA to support expansion of its engineering school.

Personal life

Henry Samueli and his wife Susan reside in Newport Beach, California. As estimated by Forbes in 2025, his net worth stands at $29.1 billion.

Broadcom stock options investigation

During the technology surge of the 2000s, Henry Samueli and Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III issued millions of stock options as incentives for employees. Authorities alleged that while options were granted to executives and others, Samueli and Nicholas did not award themselves options in order to conceal approximately $2.2 billion in compensation expenses from shareholders. This led the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice to initiate an investigation into Broadcom Corporation’s backdating practices involving stock options in 2006.

On May 15, 2008, after being named in a civil complaint by the SEC, Samueli stepped down as chairman and took a leave from his role as Chief Technology Officer.

Samueli pleaded guilty on June 23, 2008, admitting to misleading the SEC regarding the $2.2 billion backdating scheme. Under a plea agreement, he accepted five years probation, a $250,000 criminal fine, and agreed to pay $12 million to the U.S. Treasury. He acknowledged falsely denying involvement in granting options to executives but admitted participation in related activities. An internal investigation at Broadcom attributed primary responsibility to CEO Henry Nicholas and CFO William Ruehle.

However, on September 8, 2008, U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney rejected this plea deal, expressing concern that it appeared as though justice could be purchased.

Following testimony during CFO Ruehle’s trial sixteen months later—on December 10, 2009—Judge Carney dismissed all charges against Samueli, Ruehle, and Nicholas due to prosecutorial misconduct and issues with Samueli’s testimony. The judge lauded Samueli as "a brilliant engineer and a man of incredible integrity," finding no evidence of wrongdoing on his part. He harshly criticized government conduct as "shameful and contrary to American values of decency and justice," expunged Samueli’s plea agreement from his record, and declared that he "now has a clean slate."

Awards and distinctions

• 2003, Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
• 2004, Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 2006, Recipient of the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
• 2018, Inducted into the U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame
• 2018, Honored by the National Academy of Inventors
• 2020, Awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
• 2021, Honoree of the IEEE Founders Medal
• 2025, Awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor

External links

• Henry Samueli profile at UCLA Department of Electrical Engineering
• Henry Samueli profile on the Samueli Foundation website
• The Samueli Foundation official site