Month: October 2025

• AMD’s CEO, Lisa Su, grew up in Queens and obtained three degrees from MIT.
• She’s credited with turning AMD into a roughly $270 billion powerhouse and rival to Nvidia in AI chips.
• Here is a look at her career rise, personal life, and challenges over the years.

Lisa Su is the engineer behind one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in the tech industry.

The Taiwanese American CEO is widely credited with transforming AMD from a struggling semiconductor firm on the brink of collapse into a global powerhouse competing head-to-head with Intel and Nvidia.

When Su joined AMD in 2012, the company’s market value was under $2 billion. Within a decade of her leadership, AMD’s innovations in high-performance computing and graphics, especially the Ryzen CPUs and EPYC server processors, catapulted the company’s value to roughly $270 billion as of October 2025.

But Su’s leadership has not been without challenges. AMD’s two largest competitors, Nvidia and Intel, are now working together in a strategic collaboration. Under the second Trump administration, export regulations related to China, one of AMD’s largest markets, are also constantly changing.

Here’s a look at the timeline of Su’s career, from her early life in New York City to her role as one of the most influential women in tech and innovation:

Early life, family

Lisa Tzwu-Fang Su was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1969, to Su Chun-hwai and Sandy Lo. Her family immigrated to the US when she was around the age of three, because her father, a statistician, was pursuing his graduate studies at the University of Texas in Austin. Her mother at that time was an accountant. The family eventually settled down in Queens, New York City.

As a child, Su liked to take apart and rebuild remote-controlled cars and other gadgets, which sparked her interest in engineering. She eventually attended The Bronx High School of Science and graduated in 1986.

Education

Su attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston for many years and focused on electrical engineering. She eventually completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees all at MIT throughout the 1990s.

Su’s doctoral work on MOSFETs — tiny electronic switches inside computer chips — helped cement her future in some of the world’s best-known semiconductor companies.

Semiconductor research

After leaving the academic environment, Su worked in engineering, research, and managerial positions at Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale Semiconductor.

As the lead scientist at the IBM Semiconductor R&D Center, she contributed to the development of copper interconnects in chips, replacing aluminum ones. Her later role as senior vice president and general manager at Freescale, where she prepared the company for its IPO, gave Su the experience she needed to take on roles beyond research.

Joining AMD

Su joined AMD in 2012 as the general manager of Global Business Units. AMD’s market cap that year was a little less than $2 billion.

At that time, most of AMD’s revenue came from traditional chips for PCs. However, the PC market was shrinking in the early 2010s while demand for smartphones and tablets was booming.

AMD began to adopt a “semi-custom” approach, which involved taking its core technologies and modifying them based on individual customer needs. This approach helped secure contracts to design and manufacture chips for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, which reduced reliance on the PC market.

In October 2014, Su was promoted to become President and CEO of AMD.

The big AMD turnaround

In 2014, AMD had a large but scattered portfolio of chips for PCs, embedded systems, graphics, and low-power mobile, but the lack of focus was causing the company to lose market share to Nvidia and Intel.

In a change of direction for the company, Su decided to discard the market of low-power chips with small margins to focus on producing high-end chips for the cloud, data centers, and consoles.

The development of the Ryzen chips helped revive its market share among consumer products, while the simultaneous launch of the EPYC processor chips helped carve its share among data centers and servers. Companies with a large demand for cloud, like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google Cloud, have all been adopting EPYC chips.

In 2018, AMD also managed to launch the world’s first 7-nanometer data center GPUs, namely the Radeon Instinct MI50 and MI60.

By 2020, AMD’s market cap had reached over $110 billion.

An early viral moment

Before Su started gracing magazine covers, she went viral in a clip from the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix, where Formula 1 commentator Martin Brundle yelled, “Excuse me, Ma’am, do you speak English?” at the CEO, who was sponsoring the event.

“I’m with AMD,” Su said, a response that immediately gained her the internet reputation of being humble. The original clip on YouTube has garnered more than 750,000 views and continues to circulate on Instagram Reels as an example of humility.

Honorary buildings at MIT

In 2022, Su became the first MIT alumna to make a gift for a building that will bear her own name. Originally called Building 12, the home of MIT.nano was renamed the Lisa T. Su Building.

Su also regularly appears at MIT’s doctoral commencement ceremonies and established the Lisa Su Fellowship Fund, which supports female graduate students at MIT who have made accomplishments in nanotechnology.

Her marriage to Daniel Lin

Su leads a very private life outside her role at AMD. Her spouse is Daniel Lin, but it is unclear when the pair got married or if they have children. There are no verifiable records of Lin’s profession, and he is not a public figure, though the pair often appear in public events together.

Lisa Su’s downtime

Su told Wired what keeps her going: She boxes with a trainer at her house for exercise, enjoys a good passion tea lemonade from Starbucks, and gets between five and six hours of sleep every night — seven on weekends.

CEO of The Year

Su’s work at AMD was recognized by Time magazine in 2024, which named her CEO of the Year. She became the first woman to receive this title.

Su is related to her competitor

Su and Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia and the biggest competitor to AMD, are actually related. They are first cousins, once removed, with Huang being the elder. Su’s maternal grandfather is the eldest brother of Huang’s mother.

Despite both immigrating to the US from Taiwan as children, they did not grow up together and had never met until well into their respective careers.

Competition with Nvidia

AMD’s business has grown more than a hundred times since Su took the wheel, but it is still just a fraction of the size of the $4.4 trillion Nvidia.

When asked if she thinks she could outcompete Nvidia, Su told Wired in an August interview that she doesn’t necessarily want to be compared to Intel and Nvidia, because “the market is humongous” and she sees plenty of opportunities.

On September 18, Intel and Nvidia announced a strategic collaboration to develop AI infrastructure and personal computing products together, sending Intel shares up 23% as of market close on the same day and denting AMD’s stock. The collaboration is anticipated to create significant pressure on AMD by combining Nvidia’s AI expertise with Intel’s hardware.

Su’s approach to criticism

In March, a team of analysts from SemiAnalysis published a report that AMD’s graphics processing unit is still inferior to that of Nvidia’s, because AMD’s existing software is preventing the chip from reaching its full potential.

But Su was not angry. Instead, she hopped on a 90-minute call with the SemiAnalysis’s lead analyst the next day to hear him out.

“Feedback is a gift even when it’s critical,” Su wrote in a post on X after the call, “We have put a ton of work into customer and workload optimizations, but there is lots more we can do to enable the broad ecosystem.”

Export controls on China

Similar to Nvidia’s H20 chips, AMD has developed chips specifically for the Chinese market in response to past US export control regulations, namely the MI308 AI chips.

In April, AMD estimated that the company would take a $800 million hit in revenue after Trump announced more stringent chip export controls that would ban MI308 from reaching its intended market.

“We lead today because we have the best technology. However, if we’re not able to fully have our technology adopted in the rest of the world, there will be other technologies that will come to play,” said Su in a US Senate hearing in May regarding export controls. “They may not be as good as we are today, but frankly, usage really spurs innovation.”

In July, the restriction was lifted, and AMD said it would resume compliant shipments to China. By September, both Nvidia and AMD agreed to share 15% of their revenues from chip sales to China with the US government, in exchange for maintaining their export licenses.

The Rose Garden dinner

On September 4, Su attended an AI task force meeting at the White House, led by first lady Melania Trump, and subsequently attended a dinner event hosted by Trump alongside some of the biggest names in tech, including Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Su had previously endorsed the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan, though she was not a member of a formal advisory board. In a September interview with Fox Business, Su said the AI Action Plan is an “excellent blueprint for what it takes for America to lead.”

The AI Action Plan has faced criticism for attempting to override state-level AI governance and withholding AI infrastructure funding from states with more stringent regulations.

Tbilisi – On Sunday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused protesters of attempting to overthrow the government during violent demonstrations that aimed to storm the presidential palace, asserting that the European Union has meddled in Georgian politics, reports 24brussels.

A day prior, just before polls closed, a significant group of demonstrators sought to breach the presidential palace in the capital, Tbilisi. This followed the deployment of riot police who utilized pepper spray and water cannons to disperse demonstrators gathered during local elections, resulting in the detention of five activists.

Kobakhidze claimed that approximately 7,000 individuals participated in the rally, yet he stated that their “attempt to overthrow the constitutional order” had ultimately failed, despite their alleged backing from Brussels.

“They moved to action, began the overthrow attempt, it failed, and then they started distancing themselves from it,”

he remarked.

“No one will escape responsibility. This includes political responsibility.”

Why is Prime Minister Kobakhidze accusing the EU of meddling?

Kobakhidze specifically targeted EU Ambassador Paweł Herczynski, alleging interference in Georgian politics and urging him to denounce the protests. “You know that specific people from abroad have even expressed direct support for all this, for the announced attempt to overthrow the constitutional order,” said Kobakhidze.

“In this context, the European Union ambassador to Georgia bears special responsibility. He should come out, distance himself and strictly condemn everything that is happening on the streets of Tbilisi.”

How has the EU reacted to Georgia’s accusations?

The EU’s diplomatic service responded in July, dismissing the allegations from Georgian authorities as “disinformation and baseless accusations” regarding the EU’s involvement in Georgia. The service stated, “Recent statements falsely claiming that the EU seeks to destabilise Georgia, drag it into war or impose so-called ‘non-traditional values’ constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.”

What triggered the attempted storming of Georgia’s palace?

The unrest stems from ongoing protests organized by Georgia’s pro-Western opposition since last October, which followed what they claim was a fraudulent victory by the Georgian Dream party in parliamentary elections.

On Saturday, the ruling Georgian Dream party declared its success in securing victories in all municipalities across the nation, home to 3.7 million residents, despite boycotts by the two largest opposition coalitions.

As polls neared closure, protesters attempted to breach the presidential palace amid calls for a “peaceful revolution” against the Georgian Dream party, which they accuse of being pro-Russian and authoritarian.

A smaller faction of demonstrators approached the palace but faced resistance from the police, who repelled their advance. Some protesters subsequently blocked a nearby street, igniting fires and clashing with riot police.

• Just weeks after my husband retired, he was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer.
• We’d always prioritized living fully — traveling, building traditions, and making memories.
• It was a sobering reminder that even if you don’t put your life on hold, time is never guaranteed.

When my husband retired at the end of March, I thought our “golden season” had finally arrived. We weren’t the type of couple who waited for retirement to live — we had already raised our kids with adventure, built traditions around sports and travel, and carved out time to make memories long before “someday.” Retirement was supposed to be an extension of that, a slower, sweeter chapter where we could do even more of what we loved.

Then, just weeks later, my husband was accidentally diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer. We were at the hospital where he had a scan for possible appendicitis. When they confirmed that, the nurse then said, “And you know about the massive tumor on your left kidney, right?” We did not.

The news stopped us cold. One day, we were planning trips, and the next, we were sitting across from doctors, navigating medical terminology, surgery, and treatment plans. Even with a lifetime of choosing presence, I was reminded again how fragile time really is.

Since his diagnosis, we’ve been living in uncertainty

A cancer diagnosis is a roller coaster you never want to ride. Some days you cling to hopeful words from a doctor; the next, you’re spiraling over the delay of scan results. The waiting, the not knowing, it’s almost unbearable.

We’ve lived in that constant back-and-forth since the day we got the news. Optimism collides with fear on a near-daily basis. You try to keep moving forward, but the ground never feels steady.

His diagnosis was a reminder of a lesson I thought I’d learned

I’ve written before about losing my dad before he could retire and how that shaped everything about how my husband and I chose to live and parent. We built our family life on the philosophy that “someday” isn’t promised.

That mindset gave us rich experiences — from turning our son’s hockey tournaments into family road trips, to creating mother-daughter holiday adventures in New York City, to building a second home in our college town, where our kids grew up steeped in football tradition. We lived intentionally, knowing time wasn’t guaranteed.

But even after years of living in the present and not postponing joy, my husband’s cancer diagnosis was a jarring reminder that there might not be more time. Retirement was supposed to give us that cushion, but suddenly, even that felt uncertain.

We’re focusing even more on living in the present now

Since my husband’s diagnosis, we’ve doubled down on living in the present, not in the sense of chasing bucket-list extravagance, but in truly seizing the everyday moments.

Morning walks. Floating in our pool. Dinners out. Laughter with friends. Calls with our kids. These things were always important, but now they feel sacred. We still dream and plan — but we don’t put things on hold. If we can do something now, we do it. If we can’t, we find something to plan to look forward to.

We’ve let go of the idea that retirement was a finish line we were racing toward. Instead, we’re focused on presence, gratitude, and connection in every way possible.

What I thought would be our golden season began not with freedom, but with fear. Yet even in that fear came a powerful reminder: no matter how intentionally you live, time is still fragile.

If there’s one lesson I hope people take from our story, it’s this — even if you’re already living fully, don’t assume you’ll always have “more time” to do the things you dream about. Retirement isn’t a guarantee. Neither is next year. Neither is tomorrow.

Live now. Deepen traditions. Make memories. Hold the people you love even closer. Because even when you think you’ve made room for joy, life can change in an instant — and what matters most is what you choose to do with the time you’re given.

• Homeschooling is on the rise across the US.
• Sarah Nagle, who was homeschooled from the age of 10 until college, excelled academically.
• She said the experience allowed her to avoid student debt because her parents didn’t push for an elite college.

Growing up, Sarah Nagle recalled constantly hearing that homeschooled kids will fail once they enter the real world.

Speaking from experience, Nagle can confirm that’s not the case.

“My parents did pretty well preparing me academically for college,” Nagle told Business Insider. “And I have to say I never found college particularly challenging in any way. I’m not even sure I found it socially challenging.”

Nagle was homeschooled by both of her parents in California from the age of 10 through college. Now self-employed in jewelry design, the Gen Xer said she’s grateful for her homeschool experience because her parents tailored her lessons to meet her learning pace and interests, and she said the personalized curriculum led her to excel in national testing.

In addition, her parents didn’t push for an elite college as a step to success later in life, which empowered Nagle to attend the University of Texas at Austin on a scholarship in the late 90s before transferring to San Francisco State University instead of taking out student loans to pursue a more prestigious school. She said the lack of student debt is a defining characteristic that separates her from many of her peers, and she’s grateful that she didn’t have the pressure that students at public schools often face to attend more expensive colleges.

“My parents always told me that you shouldn’t make college the be-all and end-all of your life,” Nagle said. “I realize my life is really different from a lot of my friends who went to their dream school and have just still tons of student loan debt.”

Nagle’s jewelry business has generated nearly $29,000 in sales in September and just over $115,500 year-to-date, according to documents reviewed by Business Insider. She made $121,000 in sales the year prior. She said that hers can be an “erratic business” and that her sales fluctuate, with August, September, and March typically being her busiest months. She says she prioritizes reinvesting in her business — like buying new equipment — over paying herself. As a result, she said, her annual income is in the high five figures.

Homeschooling in the US is on the rise. During the pandemic, the number of parents choosing to teach their kids at home surged due to dissatisfaction with remote learning, and that trend never went away.

The growth in the school voucher movement and the increased availability of federal funds to use for education other than public school, like homeschools or microschools, are contributing to the increased interest in alternative forms of schooling. Still, public school enrollment remains dominant; 49.5 million students were enrolled in public schools for the fall of 2023, compared to the approximately 3 million who were homeschooled that same year.

Prior to being homeschooled, Nagle said she attended a public school briefly, but her parents were dissatisfied with the quality of the local schools. She said it was difficult to hear criticism of homeschooling and the notion that kids like herself wouldn’t have the skills to succeed socially or academically, but looking back, she’s glad she’s able to prove those critics wrong.

“It made me really think things through,” Nagle said, “and realize that sometimes, even though everybody’s saying one thing, they can all be wrong.”

‘It’s not a fringe decision anymore’

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins’ Homeschool Research Lab found that 17 states have so far reported increases in homeschooling in the 2024-25 school year. It follows 19 states that reported homeschooling increases in the year prior.

Angela Watson, creator of the research lab and senior research fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy, previously told Business Insider that “now we see that people who choose to homeschool their children are slightly younger than their private school or public schooling parent peers.”

“And so it could be that this is kind of a younger generation thing where it’s not stigmatized for them in the same way,” Watson said.

Some states do not report homeschooling data, and since each state has different homeschooling laws — including whether parents can receive federal dollars to homeschool — it can be difficult to regulate. Even so, Nagle said, the rise in homeschooling among the states that do report shows that it’s a type of education that’s become more accepted in the US, and less stigmatized.

“It’s a minority decision, but it’s not a fringe decision anymore,” Nagle said. She acknowledged that the social components of homeschool were challenging; she said she was nervous to go to college and felt unprepared to make the transition into a traditional school environment.

Once she settled into college life, though, she found she didn’t have the social shortcomings that she expected. Had she not been homeschooled, she doesn’t think she would have had the confidence or financial means to step out of the traditional mold and pursue self-employment.

“My homeschool experience really gave me the confidence to go my own way,” Nagle said. “I think it really gave me a better focus on life.”