Early Life
John Tu was born in Chongqing, China, on August 12, 1941, during a period of war. His family later moved to Taiwan. In 1960, he went to West Germany to study electrical engineering. He later studied at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1970. He immigrated to the United States in 1971.
Rise to Success
In 1982, he co-founded Camintonn Corporation with David Sun. They sold this company in 1986 for $6 million. After the 1987 stock market crash, which led to significant financial losses for Tu and Sun, they founded Kingston Technology the same year. In 1996, they sold 80% of Kingston to SoftBank for $1.5 billion, giving $100 million to their employees. Tu and Sun then bought back the company in 1999 for $450 million.
Key Business Strategies
Kingston Technology focused on providing high-quality, affordable memory solutions for personal computers. This strategy helped Kingston grow rapidly. The company expanded into networking and storage product lines. It also introduced portable products. Tu and Sun never raised venture capital for their business and have maintained 50/50 ownership.
Philanthropy
John Tu is well known for his philanthropy. He invested $50 million in 2020 in Fluxergy, a diagnostic testing firm. He has also supported educational initiatives for underprivileged youth.