March 31, 2026
Stocks up, pitchforks out
Super Micro Computer Investors Look for Exits
Co‑founder indicted, AI darling sees chaos as fans and doomers clash
TLDR: Super Micro’s co‑founder was indicted over alleged export violations, jolting nerves even as sales boom and the stock briefly rose. Commenters split between doomsday calls to “let it die,” sarcastic shrugs that “felonies are trendy,” and confusion over how a “panic” story comes with a green day for the stock.
Investors are slamming the brakes on Super Micro, the maker of the big, warehouse‑sized computers that power AI, after co‑founder Yih‑Shyan “Wally” Liaw was indicted for allegedly skirting U.S. export rules to China. He quit and the company says it’s cooperating, but commenters went feral. The plot twist? Shares actually popped 5% Tuesday—prompting one incredulous “Huh?” as the thread dunked on the mixed signals. For newcomers: this is a company once delisted, then relisted, and now riding the AI rocket while trying not to spin out.
The community split fast. One camp wants the whole thing torched—“the company should die” and jail anyone who helped, snarled one user—while another shrugged, “felony charges are trendy” for U.S. execs and insists Super Micro will walk it off. The family angle lit up too: a poster claimed the business can’t separate “family from company interests,” predicting a “painful death.” Bargain hunters pointed at the tag: shares near $21, about 7× next year’s earnings vs. roughly 19× for the S&P 500, and revenue expected to rocket to $40B. Meme patrol even showed up with a crypto zinger about overpaying for hype. Long story short: AI servers, indictments, and a comments cage match.
Key Points
- •Super Micro co-founder Yih‑Shyan “Wally” Liaw was indicted for allegedly circumventing U.S. export restrictions to China and has resigned; the company says it is cooperating with authorities.
- •Neither Super Micro nor CEO Charles Liang were named as defendants in the case.
- •Shares rose as much as 5.4% on Tuesday despite ongoing legal and compliance concerns.
- •The company previously faced filing issues leading to a 2019 Nasdaq delisting and 2020 relisting; in 2025 it filed missing reports to avoid delisting and keep its S&P 500 spot.
- •Super Micro expects over $40B revenue in fiscal 2026 (up 87% YoY); the stock trades at just over 7x forward earnings, below its 10-year average and broader index multiples.