I have "the worse TSMC performs, the worse I feel" syndrome... Former employees suffer mental torture, netizens say: "If you don't get off the mountain, you'll be gone."

📄Full Article· Automatically extracted by trafilaturaGemini 翻譯1529 words

A former TSMC engineer with a background from NCKU posted on Dcard, admitting that due to mental stress, he lost 12 kg while working in Hsinchu Science Park for two years before deciding to "come down the mountain." Now, seeing that the average annual salary at TSMC has exceeded 4 million NTD, he still cannot overcome his FOMO, sparking widespread discussion. (Briefing: The FSC has introduced the "TSMC Clause"! The single-stock holding limit for Taiwan stock funds has been relaxed to 25%, with up to 200 billion NTD in liquidity expected to flow in.) (Background: Tesla shares fell 3.5% in pre-market trading! Q1 revenue exceeded expectations, but concerns arose over future expenditures exceeding 25 billion USD.) The post, titled "I caught the disease of feeling worse the better TSMC gets," quickly became a trending topic, with hundreds of people flooding the comments. As the "national sacred mountain" TSMC hits new stock price highs, a former TSMC engineer who identified himself as an NCKU alumnus wrote on the Dcard Tech board yesterday that he had worked at TSMC for two years. The mental pressure was so immense that he suffered from long-term loss of appetite and irregular meals, losing 12 kg, which ultimately led him to "come down the mountain." Now, he has a more relaxed job and a stable financial situation, but every time he sees news about TSMC's salaries, he has a breakdown: "If I hadn't left, my annual salary would be over 3.5 million NTD by now. I just can't seem to get over it." The numbers fueling his FOMO are indeed not an illusion. According to TSMC's 2025 financial report, the average annual salary (including bonuses) for all employees reached NT$ 4.09 million, an increase of nearly 23% from NT$ 3.57 million in 2024, hitting a record high. For a new engineer with a master's degree, the total annual salary (including bonuses) starts at approximately 2.2 million NTD; for senior engineers with 5 to 10 years of experience, the 3 million to 5.5 million NTD range is not the ceiling. For anyone who has stood at the crossroads of "going up or coming down the mountain," these figures are like a dull knife. The replies under the post quickly split into two camps: one sympathizing with the regret, and the other urging him to think clearly. The most-liked comment came from a user from National Chung Hsing University, who directly interrupted the poster's self-doubt: "Think about it, you left because the pressure was too high and losing 12 kg had already affected your physical and mental health. It wasn't worth it." He suggested that the poster find hobbies, meet different people, and "cherish what you have and move toward your ideal life." Another user who also "came down the mountain" a few years ago because he "couldn't take it anymore" said he now works a more relaxed job at a foreign firm, has a work-life balance, and has a family: "Given your work situation, it feels like you were trading your health for money. If the destination is the same, walk the path you like and that suits you." Someone asked more directly: "Even if you knew it was 3 million, wouldn't you still be unable to hold on?" Even a current engineer still "on the mountain," with an estimated annual income of over 5.5 million NTD, chimed in with a tone devoid of sympathy: "Since last year, the pace has become faster and faster. The same amount of manpower is expected to do 1.5 times the work. Some colleagues can't keep up and have already been called in for talks by their bosses. If you don't have that resilience or that ability, just find a job that suits you. There's no need to be trapped in the emotion of comparing yourself to others." However, the solution that resonated most in the thread took a different direction: "Buying TSMC stock can cure your mental illness." Another user stated that three years ago, he also moved from a high-paying job to a much lower-paying position due to family and health factors. But by consistently investing in 0050 and TSMC every month, his total income over the past three years has been far higher than the accumulated income he would have had if he had stayed in his original high-paying job. He said: "Even if there wasn't such a high return, I would still be glad I changed jobs because I preserved my family and health. Life value is always higher than money

Data Status✓ Full text extractedRead Original (動區 BlockTempo)

🔍Historical Similar Events· Keyword + Asset Matching1 items

2026-04-26

I have "the better TSMC performs, the worse I feel" syndrome... The mental torture of an engineer before resigning, netizens: "If you don't get off the mountain, you'll be gone."

💡 Currently matching via keywords + symbols (MVP) · Will be upgraded to embedding semantic search later

Raw Information

ID:607fb9c3c0

Source:動區 BlockTempo

Published:2026-04-26 08:15:03

Category:zh_news · Export Category zh

Symbols:Unspecified

Community Votes:+0 / −0 · ⭐ 0 Important · 💬 0 Comments