The 50 Wealthiest Angelenos: Ming Hsieh – #50

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The money and the buzz on each of L.A.’s wealthiest.

THE MONEY: Quietly sold off about 10 million shares in Cogent Systems, manufacturer of fingerprint scanners Hsieh co-founded in 1990. Still owns 41 percent of Pasadena company. Cogent’s stock off this year due to declining sales.

BUZZ: Born in Guangzhou, China. Graduated from USC with bachelor’s and master’s in electrical engineering. Among three graduates given this year’s Alumni Merit Award by the USC Alumni Association. Learned basics of electrical engineering by working alongside father, engineer forced by Chinese government to install rural power systems. Immigrated in 1980. Co-founded Amax Information Technologies before making millions with Cogent. Donated $35 million to USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering in 2006; school’s department of electrical engineering named after him. Also USC trustee. Has building named after him at West Virginia University, which has world-class forensics and investigative science program; Cogent has donated equipment to the university and Hsieh endowed two professorships there.

• NET WORTH: $470 million -13%

• LAST YEAR: $540 million

• AGE: 54

• RESIDENCE: Los Angeles

• SOURCE OF WEALTH: Computer hardware, software

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