十年前(2002年)的一個12月天，筆者曾與當(dāng)時的EETimes美國版總編輯Brian Fuller并肩坐在英國倫敦某家酒店宴會廳，聽那時候的英飛凌(Infineon)CEO Ulrich Schumacher談?wù)撘粋€不可思議的話題；他是在響應(yīng)一個感覺有點呆、像是醉話，又或許是個陷阱的問題：“英飛凌可能將總部遷出慕尼黑嗎？”
Schumacher 慢慢地從英飛凌如何成為一家跨國公司說起，指該公司在全球各地擁有數(shù)個制造據(jù)點，會計團隊則設(shè)置在葡萄牙；然后他話鋒一轉(zhuǎn)表示，英飛凌因為總部位于德國而背負比部分競爭對手沉重許多的賦稅壓力，這種差別待遇是讓人難以接受的，而為了減輕成本，該公司會采取必要措施。
當(dāng)在場聽眾對Schumacher的激烈反應(yīng)大感驚愕時，他又平靜地說，以上都是不成熟的想法：“我們會搬到別的地方去嗎？這并不是一個可以輕率做成的決定?！焙髞碛袌髮?dǎo)指出，瑞士與新加坡都可能是英飛凌重新選擇總部據(jù)點的候選地。
筆者事后諸葛的猜想是，英飛凌董監(jiān)事會應(yīng)該對Schumacher的談話內(nèi)容不太高興，這可能也為他最后離開英飛凌埋下伏筆。英飛凌是在1999年4月1日 成立，并在2000年3月首次公開上市(IPO)；而最具代表性的德國公司之一西門子(Siemens)，當(dāng)時仍是英飛凌的大股東，在其董事會中應(yīng)該也有主導(dǎo)權(quán)。
Schumacher后來又在英飛凌待了15個月，直到2004年3月無預(yù)警辭職；在那個時候，德國IG Metall工會指責(zé)Schumacher試圖挑起勞工政策爭議，而且說他公開談?wù)撈髽I(yè)總部可能移往亞洲的話題，是“破壞形象”。而在十年之后，有數(shù)家公司絲毫不諱言它們“基本上”是亞洲企業(yè)，或是如何積極地進軍中國芯片與電子設(shè)備市場；那些公司的高層應(yīng)該也不認為會因為這樣的言論而丟飯碗。
恩智浦(NXP Semiconductors)CEO Rick Clemmer最近就很開心地表示，NXP“
實際上是一家中國公司”； 不過他并沒有說要把總部遷出荷蘭，而且指出：“我們至今仍然是一家荷蘭公司的唯一理由，是因為我們?nèi)韵硎苤商m的稅收減免優(yōu)惠?！倍嗄陙?，為了節(jié)省賦稅， 有越來越多企業(yè)流行在某地設(shè)置空殼公司；就連蘋果(Apple)這樣的大公司也會積極尋找節(jié)稅方法，他們也不是唯一會這么做的企業(yè)。
Schumacher在離開英飛凌之后，曾前往中國擔(dān)任晶圓代工業(yè)者宏力半導(dǎo)體(Grace Semiconductor)的CEO，因此在某種層面上，他可以說是實踐了他的理想…說不定他是未卜先知呢？
編譯：Judith Cheng
本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載
參考英文原文：Move Infineon to Asia? Who said that?，by Peter Clarke
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Move Infineon to Asia? Who said that?
Peter Clarke
I was sat alongside Brian Fuller, who was then EE Times editor-in-chief, in the ballroom of a London hotel as I heard Ulrich Schumacher, then CEO of Infineon Technologies AG, talk about the unthinkable.
It was December 2002 and I remember the frisson that went through me as I realized what Schumacher was saying. He was responding to a question that seemed to be either idiotic, alcoholic or planted. "Would Infineon move its headquarters from Munich?"
Schumacher started off slowly by talking about how much Infineon was already an international company with manufacturing at various locations around the world and teams of accountants in Portugal doing the bean counting. Then he warmed to his task. Schumacher said that the tax regime his company experienced was some 18 percent worse than that enjoyed by some competitors and that this difference was unacceptable. He added that by being based in Germany, Infineon was battling against an unacceptable tax burden and was prepared to do, "whatever is necessary" to alleviate the cost
Having floated this radical idea Schumacher then calmed things down by saying that such talk was premature. "Would we go somewhere else? It's not something we would do lightly," Schumacher concluded. In subsequent reporting Switzerland and Singapore emerged as leading candidates for a relocated Infineon.
I reckon the Infineon supervisory board didn't like that kind of talk and with hindsight it seems like it was the beginning of the end for Schumacher at Infineon. Although Infineon had been formed on April 1, 1999, and conducted an IPO in March 2000, that most German of companies Siemens was still a substantial shareholder and probably dominated the board.
Schumacher lasted another 15 months until March 2004 when he unexpectedly resigned amidst a disagreement over strategy. At the time the IG Metall union blamed the controversy on tough labor policies Schumacher was trying to bring in and "image-damaging discussion of the dislocation of the company's headquarters to Asia."
Well here we are 10 years later and now several companies are only too eager to say how they are basically far-eastern companies and well plugged into the greater China chip and equipment manufacturing nexus. They certainly don't expect to lose their jobs for such talk.
Rick Clemmer, CEO of NXP Semiconductors NV was recently happy to describe NXP as being practically a Chinese company. However, that did not mean Clemmer was proposing to move NXP's headquarters from Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Quite the contrary: "The only reason we are still a Dutch company is because we enjoy our tax breaks in the Netherlands," he said.
And ten years on talk about corporate tax rates is also back in vogue with the number of companies setting up shell companies to move revenue streams about seemingly on the increase. Apple is attracting a lot of anger for the way it has set itself to minimize its tax liabilities but it is certainly not the only company.
After leaving Infineon Schumacher took a position leading Chinese foundry Grace Semiconductor so at one level he practiced what he preached. Perhaps he was an executive ahead of his time?
