Sim Wong Hoo

Sim Wong Hoo (Chinese: 沈望傅; 1955 – 4 January 2023)[1][2][3] was a Singaporean inventor and billionaire entrepreneur known for founding Creative Technology, a designer and manufacturer of products for personal computers and personal digital entertainment devices. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Creative Technology from 1981 until his death in 2023. Creative Technology is notable for its products such as the Sound Blaster audio card and the Creative ZEN range of audio and media products.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Sim.

Sim Wong Hoo
沈望傅
Sim in 2017
Born1955 (1955)
Colony of Singapore
Died4 January 2023(2023-01-04) (aged 67–68)
Singapore
Alma materNgee Ann Technical College
TitleFounder and CEO of Creative Technology
Chinese name
Chinese沈望傅

Early life and education

Sim was born into a Zhao'an Hokkien family in the Colony of Singapore. He attended Bukit Panjang Government High School,[4] before graduating from Ngee Ann Technical College (now Ngee Ann Polytechnic) in 1975.[5] After serving his mandatory National Service, Sim worked in the private engineering sector for a year.[6]

Career

On 1 July 1981, with a capital outlay of S$10,000,[6] Sim, along with former schoolmate Ng Kai Wa,[7] opened a computer repair shop in Pearl's Centre, in Chinatown, and founded Creative Technology.[8]

Sim started by developing and selling an add-on memory boards for the Apple II computer. Creative Technology subsequently began creating customised PCs adapted for the Chinese language, including enhanced audio capabilities that allowed the devices to produce speech and melodies.[6]

In 1988, Sim established an office in the United States, and began selling Sound Blaster, a stand-alone sound card.[9] It was among the first dedicated audio processing cards widely available to general consumers.[10][11] Creative Technology dominated the PC audio market until the 2000s, when OEM PCs began to be built with integrated sound boards in the motherboard.[12][11] Sound Blaster then found itself reduced to a niche product.[11][13]

In May 2006, Creative Technology filed suit against Apple Inc. for violating their "Zen patent", which pertained to patent infringement with their iPod, iPod nano and iPod mini players.[14] Apple countersued Creative Technology, and then launched a second suit pertaining to icons and data display and entry in such portable devices. In August 2006, Apple announced it would be paying $100,000,000 to Creative Technology to license the hierarchical user interface outlined in the Zen patent.[15][16]

In late 2011, Sim announced a new product, the HanZpad, at a news conference in Beijing.[17][18]

Reception

Sim won accolades from both industry and government for his innovations. He was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) by Singapore in 2001 for outstanding achievements in the business field.[19] He was named in second spot as Asia's Businessman of the Year in January 2001 by Fortune Magazine.[20]

At age 45, he became the youngest billionaire in Singapore.[21][22] He was also the first person to be named Singapore's Businessman of the Year twice, in 1992[23] and 1997.[19] In 2002, he was named Person of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society in recognition of his contribution to the IT industry.[24] Sim was considered to be one of the most famous entrepreneurs of Singapore,[25] and formerly chaired Singapore's Technopreneurship 21 Private Sector Committee.[26]

In 1999, Sim released a book entitled Chaotic Thoughts From The Old Millennium, in which he coined and popularised the term "No U-turn syndrome" to describe the stereotypical Singaporean mindset of requiring permission from higher authorities before taking any action.[27]

Personal life

Sim died on 4 January 2023.[28][29] Acquaintances did not notice any difference before his death; his family said that he "passed away peacefully."[30]

References
  1. "Demise of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer". 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. Ang, Prisca (5 January 2023). "Creative Technology founder Sim Wong Hoo dies aged 67". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. Tan, Felicia (5 January 2023). "Creative Technology's Sim Wong Hoo dies". Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  4. "Speech by Mr Goh Chok Tong, Senior Minister, at the 45th Anniversary Dinner of Bukit Panjang Government High School". nas.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  5. Teng, Amelia (27 December 2020). "Ngee Ann Polytechnic turns startup dreams into reality". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  6. 陈顺杰 (21 February 1988). "沈望傅 创业与创新" [Sim Wong Hoo: Entrepreneurship and Creativity]. 联合早报 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  7. "Co-founder Ng Kai Wa sells $1.8 million worth of Creative shares". The Straits Times. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  8. "Creative Technology returns to relevance with Sim Wong Hoo's Super X-Fi". Yahoo! Finance. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  9. "走进风靡90年代的声卡发明者创新科技，了解它传奇39年吧！_专业音频_什么值得买". post.smzdm.com. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  10. "#retrogadgets: Share memories of your favourite gadget from the past". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  11. "Sound Blaster: How Sound Cards Took Over Computing". Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  12. Dang, Alan (1 March 2010). "Opinion: AMD, Intel, And Nvidia In The Next Ten Years". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  13. Hio, Lester (15 March 2017). "Creative's boss pins hopes on Sonic Carrier". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. Paul Miller (15 May 2006). "Creative sues Apple for violation of "Zen Patent"". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  15. Ryan Block (23 August 2006). "Apple and Creative settle, Apple forks out $100m". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  16. Tom Krazit (24 August 2006). "Apple settles with Creative for $100 million". CNET. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  17. "Creative's Sim Wong Hoo is back". The Straits Times. 8 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  18. "Sim Wong Hoo rises up like a phoenix". Newnation. 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  19. Asia, Tatler. "Sim Wong Hoo". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  20. "Sim Wong Hoo takes second spot on Fortune list of top Asian businessmen". The Business Times. 13 January 2001. p. 5.
  21. "'We still value our loyal supporters': Creative Technology's Sim Wong Hoo". CNA Luxury. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  22. "CNBC Transcript: Sim Wong Hoo, Chairman and CEO, Creative Technology". CNBC. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  23. "75 Power Players: Back at the Lab...". Next Generation. Imagine Media (11): 73. November 1995.
  24. "Singapore Computer Society". scs.org.sg. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  25. Ang, Prisca (5 January 2023). "Creative Technology founder Sim Wong Hoo dies aged 67". The New Paper. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  26. "Sim Wong Hoo—Singapore's favorite hero". ZDNet. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  27. Sim, Wong Hoo (1999). Chaotic Thoughts from the Old Millennium. Singapore: Creative O Pte Ltd. ISBN 981-04-2383-7.
  28. Ganapathy, Kurt (5 January 2023). "Creative Technology founder and CEO Sim Wong Hoo dies". CNA. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  29. Sean Hollister (6 January 2023). "Creative founder Sim Wong Hoo, the man behind Sound Blaster, has died". Verge. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  30. Sim, Sherlyn (6 January 2023). "Creative founder Sim Wong Hoo's unexpected death leaves friends, colleagues shocked | the Straits Times". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
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