81.5% of Samsung foundry workers want out | bonus gap with memory division is 500M won
TL;DR
A Samsung union survey of 8,297 workers found 81.5% of the foundry division intend to leave, versus 32.7% in the memory division. The gap traces to a May bonus package skewed heavily toward memory workers; packaging is already slow-walking output and threatening HBM schedules.
A survey by Samsung's United Enterprise Labor Union found that 81.5% of 8,297 respondents in the foundry division intend to leave. In the same survey the memory division came in at just 32.7%. The gap traces to Samsung's May commitment to distribute 10.5% of operating profit as a special management performance bonus — memory workers stand to collect up to 600 million won each, while foundry and LSI workers get roughly 100 million won, and device experience staff a fraction of that.
The gap is not one strike away from being smoothed over. Tom's Hardware, citing internal sources, reports that packaging teams are already running a coordinated slowdown that threatens HBM delivery cadence and has stalled internal decisions on major AI chip projects. The May strike threat that won memory workers their raise defused one crisis and opened a fresh one next door.
"Some get 600 million won, we get 200 million" — the SBS-quoted line from a foundry worker. Imagine 2nm ramp is imminent and only one in five people on the foundry side is still comfortable staying.
via Tom's Hardware / Seoul Economic Daily
The gap is not one strike away from being smoothed over. Tom's Hardware, citing internal sources, reports that packaging teams are already running a coordinated slowdown that threatens HBM delivery cadence and has stalled internal decisions on major AI chip projects. The May strike threat that won memory workers their raise defused one crisis and opened a fresh one next door.
"Some get 600 million won, we get 200 million" — the SBS-quoted line from a foundry worker. Imagine 2nm ramp is imminent and only one in five people on the foundry side is still comfortable staying.
via Tom's Hardware / Seoul Economic Daily
