Reports emerged that a former Senior Vice President of R&D at TSMC, Wei-Jen Lo, has joined competitor Intel, sparking serious concerns within the Taiwanese chipmaker. The executive is alleged to have taken sensitive documents and notes related to TSMC's future sub-2nm process technologies, including the 2nm, A16, and A14 nodes, before his departure. In response to this development, TSMC is reportedly considering launching a legal investigation to determine if the move violates Taiwan's Trade Secrets Act. This news comes at a time of heightened competition, as Intel is aggressively working to close the technological gap with TSMC in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. While TSMC's stock saw a decline on November 18, 2025, reports attributed the drop to broader market fears over the U.S. Federal Reserve's policies and a general sell-off in tech stocks, rather than this specific news.