‘Singapore has lost a legend’: Tributes pour in for Creative Technology founder Sim Wong Hoo
The 67-year-old, who was also Creative Technology's chairman and CEO, died on Jan 4, 2023.
Creative Technology's founder and CEO Sim Wong Hoo with the Best of CES 2018 award by AVS Forum. (File photo: Facebook/Creative Labs)
SINGAPORE: Tributes have poured in for Creative Technology founder Sim Wong Hoo after news of his death on Thursday (Jan 5).
Mr Sim died on Wednesday at the age of 67.
CEO and co-founder of Secretlab Ian Ang described Mr Sim as an "industry legend".
"Singapore today lost an industry legend in Mr Sim. Millennials grew up with Creative's excellent sound cards, MP3 players, speakers, Chinese e-dictionary, and more," Mr Ang told CNA.
"He's one of the very few true Singaporean entrepreneurs who put Singapore on the map, and he served as an inspiration for many local tech entrepreneurs."
Mr Sim founded Creative in 1981 and had been the company's chairman and CEO since its inception.
The homegrown company designs, manufactures and distributes digital entertainment products worldwide. It is best known for its Sound Blaster sound cards.
In a Facebook post, Razer CEO Tan Min-Liang expressed his admiration for Mr Sim.
“Was incredibly shocked to hear about the passing of Sim Wong Hoo, founder and CEO of Creative Technology this morning,” Mr Tan said.
“He was a good friend, and I'd meet him often to discuss things like audio technology and design.
“Our discussions would run for hours and hours and literally I just met him two weeks ago – like all our meetings, we just talked and talked about audio, speakers, entrepreneurship and much more.
“Will miss him – the technology world and Singapore has lost a legend.”
Mr James Chan, who is the founder and CEO of local start-up ION Mobility, said that his knowledge of Mr Sim's journey as an entrepreneur had inspired him in his own.
"His is the first entrepreneur’s name in my memory of entrepreneurs and businesses. It wouldn’t be far from the truth to state that my knowledge of his journey formed part of my own confidence to embark on my own entrepreneurial journey later," he told CNA.
"As I finished my studies and started my professional life, I never stopped tracking Mr Sim and his adventures at Creative Technology and cheered when they staged their comebacks."
Meeting Mr Sim last year was a "childhood dream come true", said Mr Chan.
"(Local entrepreneurs can learn from) his tenacity and derring-do and that 'well' of continual, eternal spring of motivation and conviction that he seems to always be able to draw upon to guide him on his life’s journey," he added.
It was a sentiment echoed by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who noted that Mr Sim's success served as an inspiration for the country's start-ups, given that the Creative founder had "made it in an era when Singapore was not known for innovation or entrepreneurship".
"BUBBLING" WITH IDEAS
Mr Toh Wee Khiang, who is the director of the Energy Market Authority's national energy transformation office, said that Mr Sim put Singapore technology on the world map with the Sound Blaster.
"It was a real game changer then to have CD ... quality sound on a PC," said Mr Toh in a post on LinkedIn.
"On the whole, I think Sim took Creative Technology a very long way and he leaves a lasting legacy as one of our earliest (and best?) technology entrepreneurs."
Besides being a pioneer in the audio field, some might also remember Mr Sim for coining memorable terms and phrases.
In 1999, he released a book titled Chaotic Thoughts From The Old Millennium, in which he used the expression "No U-turn syndrome" to describe Singaporeans having a mindset of compliance with higher authorities before proceeding with any action.
The term was later referred to by Members of Parliament in discussions about encouraging entrepreneurship.
Former Singapore foreign affairs minister George Yeo said he was deeply saddened by Mr Sim's death. Mr Yeo, who was appointed as an independent non-executive director at Creative in 2021, described Mr Sim as an "old friend".
“Still remember the evening he presented me and President Ong Teng Cheong with a Nomad MP3 player storing 12 songs,” Mr Yeo said in a Facebook post.
“He was always bubbling with ideas. Never left a meeting with him without new inspirations.”
