Public educational institution Terry (Terry Gou)

Public educational institution Terry (Terry Gou)

Biography

2019: Announcement of resignation at Foxconn and participation in Taiwan's presidential election

In mid-April 2019, Terry Gou announced his resignation as chairman of Foxconn's board of directors and his candidacy in the Taiwan presidential election.

I am already 68 years old. I can convey my 45 years of experience. I set a goal to give young people the opportunity to learn faster and start work, as well as replace me as soon as possible, "Terry Gou said in a conversation with Reuters.

He did not name the time frame during which he would resign. Terry Gow's resignation will be raised and resolved at the annual shareholder meeting to be held in June 2019.

According to Gou, after leaving Foxconn, he will help the company develop its main areas of activity, but will not do its daily business.

According to informed Reuters sources, one of Gou's likely successors is considered the head of Foxconn's electronic and optoelectronic equipment division, Liu Sung-Ching (Lu Sung-Ching).

Terry Gow ranks 257th in the ranking of the richest people on the planet in 2019 according to Forbes. Observers of the publication estimated the fortune of the actual head of Foxconn at $6.3 billion.

The businessman intends to run for president of Taiwan in the elections. Terry Gow refused to say which party he could nominate, but promised to make a decision "as quickly as possible."

2020 is very important for Taiwan... this is a turning point in Taiwan's choice of direction in politics, economics, defense for the next 20 years, "he said.

The billionaire is expected to run for Taiwanese president from the Kuomintang party, of which Gou has been a member for more than 50 years. In 2016, the entrepreneur provided the party with an interest-free loan in the amount of $1.5 million.^[1]

2023

Taiwan presidential nomination

On August 28, 2023, the founder of the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn) Terry Gou has announced his intention to run for president of Taiwan as an independent candidate in the elections to be held in January 2024.

Gou, 72, resigned as head of Foxconn in 2019 and then filed his first presidential bid: then the billionaire planned to run for the Kuomintang party. At the same time, Gou remains a member of the board of directors and a shareholder of Foxconn. But in July 2019, Gou lost the internal party elections and left the Kuomintang.

Terry Gow

Gou has spent several weeks touring Taiwan holding campaign-like events, Reuters reported. His position is that "the only way to avoid a war with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, is to remove the Democratic Progressive Party from governing."

Give me four years and I promise I will bring 50 years of peace to the Taiwan Strait and lay the deepest foundation for mutual trust on both sides. Taiwan should not become Ukraine, and I will not allow it to become the next Ukraine, "Gou said.

According to the rules of the presidential election, Gou must collect approximately 300,000 voter signatures by November 2, 2023, in order to qualify for independent candidate status. The Central Election Commission will consider the signatures and announce the results by November 14 of this year. Data from opinion polls suggests that Taiwan's Vice President Lye Ching-te, a candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party that advocates Taiwan's status as an independent country, has the support of 33% to 40% of voters. About 15% of voters are ready to cast votes in favor of Gou.^[2]

Leaving Foxconn's Board of Directors

Founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn) Terry Gou, running as an independent candidate for Taiwan's presidency, made the decision to leave his company entirely.

Gou, 72, stepped down as head of Foxconn in 2019. At the same time, he is a major shareholder in Foxconn, which produces products for many well-known customers, including Apple. In addition, Foxconn's customers were IBM, Dell and others.

Terry Gow

According to Reuters, Gou left the post of member of the board of directors of his company "for personal reasons." In a succinct statement, he noted that he had "formally handed over the management of the Foxconn group to a professional manager for four years." Gou's campaign team declined to comment.

The presidential election comes at a time of heightened tensions between Taiwan and China, and Beijing regularly holds military drills near the island, raising fears of a possible conflict. As part of his election program, Gou said he was ready to donate assets to the PRC.

I have never been under the control of the People's Republic of China. I do not follow their instructions, "Gou said.

Gou has repeatedly accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of increasing tensions in Taiwan's relations with China, which claims the island as its territory. According to opinion polls, Taiwan Vice President Lye Ching-te, who is the DPP candidate, has the support of 33% to 40% of voters. At the same time, Gou, as of the beginning of September 2023, secured the support of approximately 15% of voters. Foxconn's founder promises to ensure Taiwan has a peaceful existence. He needs to collect about 300 thousand signatures of voters in order to officially become a presidential candidate.^[3]

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