Taiwan once reached the world through farms and agricultural aid; today AI chips have put it at the center of the global economy — and that journey holds four lessons for leaders.
On a whim, I sat in on a Stanford lecture about Taiwan's agricultural development history, and I kept thinking about chips. Decades ago, Taiwan connected with the world through agricultural products and agricultural aid. Today, AI chips have put it at the center of the global economy once again.
As an executive coach, I came away with four lessons:
1. Technology leadership is not enough — you must also read the rules.
The lecture described Taiwan's international vegetable research center: real scientific contributions, yet its political status kept it from fully joining the international research system. Chip trade faces the same dynamic today under export controls. Before a company expands abroad, the question is not only "will customers buy?" but also "will the rules allow it?"
2. The more you are needed, the more you must manage dependence.
In September 2026, electronics and ICT products together made up roughly 80% of Taiwan's export orders. That concentration is a reminder: while you enjoy growth, check your dependence on a single industry and a single demand cycle. Concentration fuels growth — and it magnifies risk.
3. Agricultural technical aid is soft power.
After the war, Taiwan's agricultural aid programs exported knowledge, talent, and experience to developing countries — not just products. The example in Vietnam stayed with me: aid built reputation, and reputation built long-term partnerships. Today's industrial exports work the same way. Lasting influence comes not from what you sell, but from whether you help the other side solve their problem.
4. Before you invest, listen to the front line.
The lecture mentioned a fertilizer plant built under a technology program that never properly accounted for farmers' actual needs; urea output reached about 7 million tons — roughly twice global demand. Adopting AI is no different: start with one concrete task, let frontline teams try it, and measure the time saved, rework avoided, and quality gained before scaling. Units purchased are easy to count; real business value has to be verified.
From agriculture to chips, the times keep rewriting Taiwan's advantages. What I take from it is this: leaders must read the direction of the world, and also see the people right beside them. We work to give our companies a place in the world — and we must also make sure the people who carry those companies have a place in it.
That is what it means to lead with more humanity in the age of AI.