THE MONEY: Walmart Inc., the world’s largest retailer, in December completed its $2.3B acquisition of William Wang’s Vizio, an Irvine-based maker of smart TVs.
ACCOLADES: National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) presented Wang with a Lifetime Achievement Honors at the 75th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards in October. Recognized for his contributions in revolutionizing the television industry, making high-quality, innovative TVs and soundbars accessible to millions of American households
STAYING WITH VIZIO: Two decades ago, after surviving a plane crash, tech visionary started Vizio, which has become a well-known national brand as maker of flat-panel smart TVs, sound bars and other products. The Irvine-based company went public in 2021. Before the sale to Walmart was completed, Wang promised to stay with the company.
VIZIO BRAND: Vizio has traditionally been considered the largest U.S.-based flat-panel TV maker, trails only Samsung Electronics Co. among sales in the country.
IN HIS WORDS: “I started in tech support because I couldn’t really get a job as an engineer…My GPA, I think, was 2.3 or 2.4, and I couldn’t get a real engineering job.”
