Inspirational Quotes by An Wang (Chinese-born American Engineer)

An Wang (1920–90) was a Chinese-American computer engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He developed many inventions related to computer memories and electronic calculators. He was also the founder and longtime executive of Wang Laboratories, the pioneering American manufacturer of computers and word processing systems.

Born in Shanghai to an English teacher, Wang earned a bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiaotong University. He taught there for two years and worked as an engineer for Central China Radio Works 1941–45. After his sister and parents died during World War II, he immigrated to the United States. He attended Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in 1946 and a PhD in applied physics in 1948.

While a research fellow at Harvard, Wang invented magnetic core memory for computers and vastly increased the speed and processing ability of computers. He left Harvard to set up Wang Laboratories in 1951.

Wang developed such practical computer inventions as the computer numerical control (CNC machining,) integrated circuit technology for programmable computers, desktop calculators, word processors. By the 1980s, Wang Laboratories was one of the most admired companies in the United States, and An Wang was a billionaire.

Wang was also known for his traditional management style, which was firmly rooted in Confucian customs.

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