
Shares of Super Micro Computer Inc. (Nasdaq: SMCI) suffered one of the most dramatic single-day collapses in its history on Friday, plummeting 33% after federal prosecutors arrested the company's co-founder on charges that he secretly funneled billions of dollars' worth of Nvidia-powered AI servers to China — in direct violation of U.S. export control laws designed to protect national security.
Federal agents arrested Yih-Shyan "Wally" Liaw, 71, a prominent Silicon Valley executive who co-founded Supermicro in 1993 and is described as a close confidante of CEO and chairman Charles Liang. The arrest sent the stock tumbling more than 12% in after-hours trading on Thursday before the full weight of the indictment crushed shares in Friday's regular session.