Taiwanese Technological Catchup: “A Comparative Analysis of MediaTek and Qualcomm”

By comparing MediaTek and Qualcomm over the past 9 years this essay has explored the current state of Taiwanese catch up to American firms in the realm of advanced technologies. In particular, this essay compares (1) intangible assets, (2) research/development and revenue, (3) income, (4) profits, and (5) employee growth as seen in yearly 10-K reports or annual reports. Based on the data collected, an impressive expansion and a concerted effort to technologically catch up on the part of MediaTek (Taiwan) is observable. However, MediaTek, to date, has been unable to technologically catch up to Qualcomm’s (USA). Nevertheless, at the current rate of growth MediaTek’s sprint to catch up to American firms like Qualcomm is no longer a matter of whether they will catch up, but rather when.