Early Life
John Tu was born in Chongqing, China, on August 12, 1941. Due to the Chinese Civil War, his family moved to Shanghai in 1945, and then to Taiwan in 1947. He later moved to Germany, where he studied electrical engineering at Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, graduating in 1970. He then worked at Motorola in Germany before immigrating to the United States in 1971.
Rise to Success
In 1982, Tu co-founded Camintonn with David Sun. They sold Camintonn in 1986 for $6 million. In 1987, Tu and Sun founded Kingston Technology in Fountain Valley, California. Their business started in response to a shortage of surface-mount memory chips. Kingston quickly grew, becoming a major player in the memory and storage industry, especially during the 1990s PC boom.
Key Business Strategies
A significant strategy was the focus on providing high-quality memory products and exceptional customer service. The company has consistently adapted to market trends and customer needs. Kingston has also focused on innovation, expanding into flash memory and other storage solutions. In 1996, Tu and Sun sold 80% of Kingston to SoftBank for $1.5 billion, and then bought it back in 1999 for $450 million.
Philanthropy
John Tu is known for his philanthropy. He donated to Erin Gruwell's Freedom Writers Foundation and supported the Storm Lake Times in Iowa, contributing to its purchase of a local competitor. In 2011, he donated $1.2 million to provide iPads to all first-year medical students at UC Irvine.