William Wang
William Wang is a Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Vizio. Born in Taipei and raised in California, he built one of the world's best-selling TV brands from scratch.
William Wang's Bio
William Wang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to Hawaii with his family at age twelve before settling in Southern California. After studying electrical engineering at USC, he began his career at Datong, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company, where he quickly moved from technical support to sales and marketing.
In 1990, at age 27, Wang founded MAG Innovision, a computer monitor company that grew to $600 million in revenue by undercutting competitors with better technology at lower prices. But the company collapsed under the weight of rapid growth and poor management, leaving Wang with $25-30 million in debt. Rather than declare bankruptcy, he spent years doing consulting work to pay back his investors and suppliers.
In 2002, Wang founded Vizio (originally V-Ink) with $400,000 from a second mortgage on his house. Using the same supply-chain efficiency playbook, he built Vizio into America's top-selling TV brand by 2007. The company pioneered affordable flat-screen TVs through partnerships with Costco and Walmart, and later became a leader in smart TVs and streaming. In 2024, Walmart acquired Vizio for $2.3 billion.
Career Timeline
1963 — Born in Taipei, Taiwan
William Wang was born in Taipei, Taiwan.
1975 — Moved to Hawaii with family
Moved to Hawaii at age twelve for better educational opportunities, then later settled in Southern California.
1981 — Entered USC to study electrical engineering
Began studies at the University of Southern California, majoring in electrical engineering.
1986 — Started career at Datong
Joined Datong, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company, moving from technical support to sales and marketing.
1990 — Founded MAG Innovision (computer monitors)
Founded MAG Innovision at age 27, building it into a major computer monitor supplier.
1996 — MAG Innovision reaches $600M revenue
MAG Innovision grew to $600 million in annual revenue, becoming one of the largest PC monitor brands worldwide.
2000 — Survived Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crash
Survived the crash of Singapore Airlines Flight 006 in Taipei, an experience he has described as transformative.
2002 — Founded Vizio (originally V-Ink)
Founded Vizio with $400,000 from a second mortgage on his house, starting with just four employees.
2007 — Vizio becomes #1 HDTV brand in the US
Vizio surpassed Samsung and other giants to become the largest seller of flat-panel TVs in America by focusing on value through efficient supply chains.
2024 — Vizio acquired by Walmart for $2.3 billion
Walmart completed its acquisition of Vizio, bringing Wang's TV and streaming platform under the retail giant.
