Asian chip stocks tumbled on Friday as a global tech rout hit the region,
erasing more than $18bn from the wealth of 22 Asia-based billionaires among the
world’s 500 richest (peak losses exceeded $21bn). SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son
lost about $3.9bn, trimming his net worth to roughly $29bn. Founders tied to
AI-centric firms — including Keyence’s Takemitsu Takizaki and ASE Technology
Holding’s Zhang Qiansheng — each lost at least $1bn. Samsung Electronics
shareholder Lee Jae-yong and his family saw about $2.5bn wiped off their wealth.
Companies at the core of the AI boom were hardest hit.
