WHEN SU WAS promoted into AMD’s top job in 2014, analysts were calling the company “uninvestable,” with $2.2 billion in debt. Some of its prized assets were already being sold for parts.

Deputy position nomination scrutiny. When Su was confirmed in 2021 to be deputy secretary, she faced scrutiny from Senate Republicans on her leadership of California’s Labor Department.

Not everyone would have been so enthusiastic. When Su took the helm of AMD in 2014, its stock was heading toward an all-time low. But Su, now one of the most powerful women in tech, likes a challenge.