How ASML’s CEO plans to keep pace with soaring AI demand

Dec 15, 2025
1 min read

When Christophe Fouquet interviewed for a job at ASML Holding NV in 2007, he had an unusual request: Could he take a position one rung below what the Dutch company was offering? He wanted to study the technical details of the new chip-making machines ASML sold to tech giants like Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co.

After he was hired the next year, he spent weeks poring over the product catalog until he could recite the key features by heart.

“Even today when I meet with my customers, we talk about very specific things,” says the 52-year-old, who took over as ASML’s chief executive officer in 2024. “You need to understand what they do. You need to be able to explain what you are doing to solve their problem. That was the reason I said, ‘Give me a bit of time to learn’.”