To Quell Three-Star Strike Sentiment, TSMC Chairman Mark Liu Promises Uncapped Employee Bonuses and Minimum 30% Growth

According to Vision OneMillion's monitoring, TSMC Chairman and CEO Mark Liu urgently held a company-wide employee meeting on May 27 to address frontline employees' concerns about a reduced bonus. Responding to online rumors that the company would cut more than 10% of the May bonus, Mark Liu clarified that if employee performance evaluations remained consistent with the previous year, the estimated total annual bonus for 2026 would grow by over 30%, with the distribution having "no ceiling," to appease employees' emotions triggered by the unequal AI boom dividend.

The labor dispute originated from internal complaints exposed on Dcard and Facebook groups in mid-May. Employees shared screenshots, claiming that the first-quarter bonus was almost the same as the previous quarter, failing to reflect the company's YoY net profit surge of 58%, and even rumors emerged of a 10% to 20% cut in the May bonus. With the recent historic agreement in Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division, where the average bonus per person reached nearly $400,000, TSMC employees began intense discussions on initiating a "Samsung-style strike" or actions such as leaving work punctually, escalating rapidly after complaints were covered by media outlets like TweakTown.

Mark Liu explained that profit distribution must balance the interests of employees, shareholders, and social responsibilities (such as ESG and green energy investments). Regarding the structural salary increase raised by employees, the management stated that there is currently no plan, but annual salary adjustments will favor frontline employees to ensure a higher percentage increase for them compared to supervisors. Mark Liu also openly encouraged employees to invest their bonuses in purchasing company stock on the spot, promising that "buying TSMC stock ensures a worry-free future," sharing the rewards of the company's long-term growth.

TSMC has opened the bonus inquiry system on May 27, and the bonus funds will be officially distributed on May 29. Currently, the company is concurrently constructing around 12 wafer plants worldwide to tackle advanced processes of 2nm and 1.4nm, facing significant capital expenditure pressure, a direct conflict with frontline shift workers' demands to increase bonuses to share in the profits from AI.