Jason Chang used family real-estate capital and experience as a springboard into semiconductors, co-founded ASE in 1984 with his brother, and built it into a global leader in outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing. [1][2][3][4]
He had meaningful family capital before entering semiconductors
Chang came from a family that rebuilt wealth in Taiwanese construction and development after moving from mainland China, and he worked on overseas building projects before entering the chip industry. [2]
Forbes reported that Chang founded ASE in 1984 with his own and family money, while ASE's own history says he and his brother Richard established the company and opened its first factory in Kaohsiung that year. [2][3]
ASE's corporate history also credits Chang's mother as an important financial backer during the company's early losses, reinforcing that the semiconductor venture benefited from a real family-capital advantage. [4]
ASE's later scale came from decades of operating expansion
Chang grew ASE from a small factory into a global packaging and testing leader through international expansion, acquisitions and integration of testing, substrate and systems-assembly capabilities. [3][4]
Forbes and ASE both describe Chang as the founder and long-serving chairman behind that growth, making his fortune a combination of meaningful family starting capital and substantial additional value created in a new industry. [1][2][4]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 30, 2026.
- Jason Chang · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- Big bet on the back end · Forbes · Jan 6, 2003
- Milestones · ASE
- ASE’s Chairman receives Honorary Doctorate Degree from the National Sun Yat-Sen University · ASE · Jan 24, 2019
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