Terry Gou

Terry Gou
Born	(1950-10-18) October 18, 1950 Banqiao Township, Taipei County, Taiwan
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, political figure
Known for	Founder and former chairman and CEO of Foxconn

Terry Gou (; born 18 October 1950) is a Taiwanese billionaire entrepreneur and political figure. He is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Foxconn, recognized as the largest contract electronics manufacturer worldwide. Founded in 1974, Foxconn grew into a multinational corporation, becoming Taiwan's top private employer and exporter, with a workforce numbering 1.2 million. As of 2024, Gou's estimated net worth stood at billion.

Rumors about Gou's entry into politics surfaced in 2016 ahead of the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election. In 2019, he stepped down from his role at Foxconn and joined the Kuomintang (KMT) to pursue the presidency, inspired by a dream featuring the sea goddess Mazu. After finishing second in the KMT primary, he departed from the party but rejoined in 2023 to seek the presidency for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. Nevertheless, following an independent presidential run, he withdrew from the contest in November 2023.

Gou is often characterized as "mainland-friendly," maintaining strong connections with Chinese business sectors and regarded as an "old friend" by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. In December 2022, he was instrumental in advocating for the relaxation of China's zero-COVID measures with the Xi administration. Politically, Gou stands against Taiwan independence and supports efforts to ease tensions between China and the United States. His business background combined with his outsider status has led to comparisons with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Early life

Born in Banqiao Township, Taipei County (now Banqiao District, New Taipei), Gou's family fled from mainland China's Shanxi Province to Taiwan in 1949. His father, who formerly served as a Kuomintang policeman, played a significant role in instilling discipline during Gou's upbringing.

As the family's second child, Gou completed education beyond college level and worked in multiple factories until he was 24 years old. He has an elder sister along with two younger brothers, Gou Tai-chiang and Tony Gou, both of whom have also achieved success as entrepreneurs.

Gou fulfilled his compulsory military service by serving as an anti-aircraft artillery officer in the Republic of China Air Force, stationed on Kinmen during a period marked by potential invasion threats from the PLA. He was discharged in 1973.

Foxconn

In 1974, Terry Gou established Foxconn, initially known as Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海科技集團), in Taiwan with an initial capital of $7,500 and a small team of ten elderly workers. The company started by manufacturing plastic components for television sets within a rented shed located in Tucheng, a suburb of Taipei. A key turning point occurred in 1980 when Gou secured an order from Atari for joystick controllers for gaming consoles.

During the 1980s, Gou pursued rapid growth by traveling extensively across the United States to attract clients, often overcoming security obstacles to win contracts.

In 1988, he inaugurated Foxconn’s first factory in Shenzhen, which remains its largest production site today. Gou implemented vertical integration across manufacturing processes and developed an expansive production complex featuring worker accommodations, dining facilities, healthcare services, and even poultry farming to support employee welfare.

By 1996, Hon Hai began producing chassis for Compaq desktop computers—an important milestone that paved the way for partnerships with prominent companies such as HP, IBM, and Apple. Over subsequent years, Foxconn solidified its position as a leading global manufacturer of consumer electronics.

Other business ventures

In 2019, Gou advocated for Apple to relocate its manufacturing operations from mainland China to Taiwan, aligning with his announcement to resign as chairman of Foxconn.

He holds the primary ownership of HMD Global, established in 2016 to promote phones under the Nokia brand. HMD manages research and development, production, and distribution through FIH Ltd, a subsidiary of the Hon Hai group.

By April 2021, Gou had become the largest investor in the biotechnology company Eirgenix. In December 2022, The Wall Street Journal revealed that a letter from Gou contributed to convincing Chinese authorities to relax Zero-COVID policies during the pandemic.

Political career

Gou became a member of the Kuomintang in 1970 but allowed his membership to expire after 2000. During the 2012 Taiwan presidential election, he endorsed Ma Ying-jeou, commending him as an "experienced, outstanding helmsman." After Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, a satirical open letter critical of Trump was erroneously attributed to Gou by Bloomberg.

Political views

Gou opposes the Taiwan independence movement and criticizes the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for advocating Taiwan’s independence and opposing China. He views Taiwan independence as a non-issue and supports the 1992 Consensus within the framework of one-China, condemning the DPP for misrepresenting its meaning. According to Gou, the "1992 Consensus" incorporates both "one China" and "each side's interpretation," serving as a foundation for peaceful dialogue and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

He blames current tensions between Taiwan and China on provocative policies by the DPP, which have hindered communication and intensified military pressure from Beijing. Gou calls for resuming talks based on this consensus, suggesting the establishment of a permanent negotiation venue in Kinmen along with forming a bipartisan team dedicated to restoring peace. His strategy emphasizes preserving Taiwan’s democratic principles while encouraging economic growth through stable cross-strait relations.

On defense matters, Gou advocates for enhancing Taiwan’s military strength with modern technology but underscores that this is intended to maintain peace rather than incite conflict. He also intends to establish a lasting memorial for the 823 Artillery Battle in Kinmen to commemorate wartime sacrifices and promote prudent diplomacy.

In 2019, Gou voiced concerns about Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage, arguing that the Legislative Yuan ignored the results of a 2018 referendum in which most voters opposed legalization.

2020 presidential election

Beginning in 2016, there was widespread speculation about Gou potentially running for president in Taiwan’s 2020 election, with rumors continuing into 2017. He rejoined the Kuomintang in April 2019 and declared his candidacy for the party’s primary for that year’s presidential race. Gou cited a dream involving the sea goddess Mazu as motivation behind his decision. He secured second place in the Kuomintang primary with 27.7% of votes.

On 12 September 2019, Gou exited the Kuomintang and four days later announced he would not pursue an independent candidacy in the election. Although offered the top position on the Taiwan People's Party list for the 2020 legislative elections, he declined.

2019 Kuomintang Republic of China presidential primary results
Candidates	Place	Result
Han Kuo-yu	Nominated	44.81%
Terry Gou	2nd	27.73%
Eric Chu	3rd	17.90%
Chou Hsi-wei	4th	6.02%
Chang Ya-chung	5th	3.54%

2024 presidential election

In April 2023, Gou declared his intention to run in the Taiwan's 2024 general election. Early polls conducted in January 2023 showed him trailing Hou Yu-ih in a hypothetical Kuomintang primary, with Gou receiving 28.6% support compared to Hou’s 36.7%. He officially announced his independent candidacy on August 28. Shortly after, on September 2, Foxconn confirmed that Gou had stepped down from its board of directors due to personal reasons.

On September 14, Gou selected actress and author Tammy Lai (Lai Pei-hsia) as his vice-presidential candidate. His independent candidacy was formally approved on November 14 when Taiwan's Central Election Commission verified the validity of his nomination signatures. Despite this, Gou withdrew from the presidential contest on November 24, resulting in his exclusion from the ballot.

Public image

Gou’s status as a wealthy entrepreneur and political newcomer prompted international media outlets to liken him to Donald Trump during Trump’s 2019 presidential campaign.

In 2007, Gou identified Genghis Khan as a personal inspiration and is often seen wearing a beaded bracelet obtained from a temple honoring the historic leader.

"Animal" management comment controversy

During a company event in 2012, Gou ignited debate by humorously likening Foxconn’s vast workforce to animals. He stated that overseeing more than one million employees was comparable to managing "one million animals," which attracted criticism.

Foxconn responded by clarifying that Gou’s remarks referred broadly to humans as members of the animal kingdom and were not intended to be derogatory. The company highlighted that his comment was meant to convey insights drawn from leadership experiences relevant to corporate management.

Anti-Korean comment

In June 2012, Gou expressed high regard for Japanese businessmen, particularly appreciating their directness in disagreement without betrayal, contrasting this with a derogatory term for Koreans, Gaoli bangzi, which is recognized as a racial slur.

Personal life

Gou and his first wife, Serena Lin (1950–2005), had two children: a son involved in film and real estate ventures and a daughter who formerly worked in finance. Together, they established an educational charity in 2000, with plans for Gou to donate one-third of his fortune; following Lin’s passing, their daughter assumed leadership of the foundation.

In the 1990s, Gou was involved in an extramarital relationship with Chen Chung-mei, who attempted to extort him using videotaped material. Although Gou initially agreed to pay, he later enlisted law enforcement to apprehend Chen and the private investigator on charges of blackmail.

In 2002, Gou acquired a castle near Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic for $30 million. Serena Lin succumbed to breast cancer in 2005, and two years later, Gou’s younger brother Tony died from leukemia. That same year saw renewed allegations concerning Gou’s previous affair.

Gou publicly courted actress Carina Lau in 2007, which increased his media attention; however, their relationship reportedly ended when Lau chose not to pursue it further.

On July 26, 2008, Gou married choreographer Delia Tseng (born 1974). The couple has three children and has pledged to donate 90% of Gou’s wealth.

Wealth

In 2016, Gou's net worth was estimated at US$5.6 billion. By August 2017, Forbes assessed his wealth at US$10.6 billion. As of 2022, Gou's net worth reached billion, placing him as the sixth richest person in Taiwan.