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Broadcom Inc.

Semiconductors & Enterprise SoftwareFounded 1991
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Broadcom: CEO History

4 leaders · 1991 to present

Who is the CEO of Broadcom?

Hock Tan is the CEO of Broadcom, in the role since 2006. The first chief executive was Henry Nicholas III, from 1991.

Current CEO
Hock Tan (since 2006)
First CEO
Henry Nicholas III (1991)
Leaders documented
6
Founded
1991
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Hock TanPresident and Chief Executive Officer2006Present20
Scott McGregorPresident and CEO of Broadcom Corporation2005201611
Henry SamueliCo-Founder and Chairman of the Board1991Present35
Henry Nicholas IIICo-Founder; President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation1991200312
Who was CEO of Broadcom before Hock Tan?
Henry Nicholas III was CEO of Broadcom from 1991 to 2003, before Hock Tan took over in 2006.

Company Overview

Much of the internet runs on Broadcom parts that users never see. Its chips route traffic inside cloud data centers, connect phones and laptops to Wi-Fi, and run cable and fiber gateways, while its VMware software runs a large share of corporate private clouds. Since 2024 the company's identity has shifted toward AI: custom accelerators and AI networking went from about $12 billion of revenue in fiscal 2024 to $16.7 billion in a single quarter in 2026. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Hock Tan

President and Chief Executive Officer

2006 – Present

20 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Kept only businesses with defensible technology; bought Broadcom Corporation and took its name; pivoted into software after the 2018 Qualcomm bid was blocked; ended VMware perpetual licenses in favor of VCF subscriptions; scaled the custom AI accelerator business with Google, Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic.

Legacy

Hock E. Tan became CEO of Avago Technologies in March 2006 and has run the company through its acquisitions of LSI (2014), Broadcom Corporation (2016), Brocade (2017), CA Technologies (2018), Symantec's enterprise business (2019) and VMware (2023). Born in Penang, Malaysia, he holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard, and earlier held finance roles at General Motors and PepsiCo and was CEO of Integrated Circuit Systems. In 2025 the board agreed he would stay through at least 2030 and granted a performance award that pays nothing unless AI revenue tops $60 billion in a four-quarter period between fiscal 2028 and 2030.

Source →

Scott McGregor

President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation

2005 – 2016

11 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Led Broadcom Corporation after the backdating crisis and into its 2016 sale to Avago.

Legacy

Scott McGregor led Broadcom Corporation from 2005 until Avago completed its $37 billion acquisition in February 2016, a period when the company expanded in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, set-top box and data center switch chips.

Source →

Henry Samueli

Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board

1991 – Present

35 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Co-founded Broadcom Corporation and led its engineering as CTO; joined the board of the combined company in 2016.

Legacy

Henry Samueli co-founded Broadcom Corporation in 1991 and, as chief technical officer, led the engineering behind its cable modem, Ethernet and Wi-Fi chips. He joined the board after Avago bought Broadcom Corporation in 2016 and is chairman of Broadcom Inc.

Source →

Henry Nicholas III

Co-Founder; President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation

1991 – 2003

12 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Took Broadcom Corporation public in 1998 and used its stock for acquisitions in 1999 and 2000.

Legacy

Henry Nicholas III ran Broadcom Corporation from its founding through its April 1998 IPO and the dot-com boom, then resigned in January 2003. Backdating and drug charges brought against him in 2008 were dismissed in December 2009 and January 2010.

Source →

Other senior executives

These officers report to the chief executive and are not part of the CEO timeline above.

  • Kirsten Spears, Chief Financial Officer (2020 – 2026)Managed financing and debt repayment for the VMware acquisition.Source →
  • Amie Thuener, Chief Financial Officer (2026 – present)Took over as CFO on 12 June 2026.Source →

Challenges & Strategic Context

Three risks stand out. The first is concentration: a handful of hyperscale and AI-lab customers account for most AI chip demand, so a change in one program can move results. The second is VMware: customers and European cloud providers have objected to the move to bundled subscriptions, the European Commission is investigating VMware licensing, and on 3 August 2026 the EU General Court refused Broadcom's request to suspend a Commission order to hand over documents. The third is supply and geopolitics: the most advanced chips depend on TSMC in Taiwan, and U.S. export controls restrict advanced technology sales to China. Competition from Nvidia's GPU and networking platforms, Marvell's custom silicon work and customers' in-house chip teams is also rising.

Broadcom CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is the CEO of Broadcom?

Hock E. Tan, president and CEO since March 2006. In 2025 the board agreed he would stay through at least 2030.

What is Hock Tan's background?

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Tan earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering at MIT and an MBA at Harvard. He held finance roles at General Motors and PepsiCo and was CEO of Integrated Circuit Systems before Avago.

How is Hock Tan paid?

Mostly in stock. His 2025 performance award pays nothing unless AI revenue tops $60 billion in a four-quarter period between fiscal 2028 and 2030, and pays up to three times target above $120 billion.

Who is Broadcom's CFO?

Amie Thuener, since 12 June 2026. She was previously Alphabet's corporate controller and chief accounting officer and succeeded Kirsten Spears, who retired after 12 years at Broadcom.

Who led the original Broadcom Corporation?

Co-founder Henry Nicholas III was CEO from 1991 until January 2003, and Scott McGregor led it from 2005 until Avago bought it in 2016.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.