Manning, re: Simpson- (warning Copilot generated)
Acrete had /has a $200 QCOM price target.
Note- Mauricio remains with QCOM in a senior finance role -- (he was very personable and helpful)
Snip- “…This is a signal hire — Qualcomm wanted someone who could elevate the narrative with hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and long-only’s who demand deep technical clarity.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Brett Simpson — Deep Background Overlay (Qualcomm SVP, Investor Relations)
1. Career Foundation (25+ Years in Semis & Supply Chain)
Simpson is not a generic Wall Street analyst — he’s one of the longest-tenured, most technically fluent semiconductor analysts in Europe.
Arete Research (Co-Founder, Senior Partner)
- Co-founded Arete Research, one of the most respected independent tech-focused equity research firms globally.
- Covered global semiconductors, AI compute, wireless, RF, memory, and supply chain for more than two decades.
- Known for:
- Deep teardown-level understanding of handset and PC BOMs
- Early calls on RF content shifts
- Tracking silicon allocation across TSMC, Samsung, and foundry nodes
- Mapping modem share, ASP trends, and OEM procurement cycles
His research was widely followed by hedge funds, long-only institutions, and supply-chain analysts because he consistently produced non-consensus, data-driven calls.
2. Technical Expertise (Why Qualcomm Hired Him)
Simpson’s background is unusually aligned with Qualcomm’s core businesses:
A. Wireless & RF Systems
- Covered modems, RF front-end, antenna tuning, filters, PA modules, and the entire handset silicon stack.
- Deep familiarity with Qualcomm’s competitive set: MediaTek, Apple, Broadcom, Skyworks, Qorvo, Murata.
B. AI Compute & Edge Processing
- One of the earliest analysts to map AI inference workloads to edge devices.
- Followed Qualcomm’s NPU roadmap, Snapdragon AI Engine, and Oryon CPU strategy long before joining the company.
C. Foundry & Supply Chain
- Extensive relationships across:
- TSMC (node transitions, capacity allocation)
- Samsung Foundry
- ASE, Amkor, SPIL (packaging)
- Memory suppliers (Micron, SK Hynix, Samsung)
This is critical because Qualcomm’s investor narrative is increasingly tied to supply chain resilience and node leadership.
3. Reputation Among Institutions
Simpson was known for:
- High-granularity models (content per device, BOM deltas, mix shifts)
- Accurate handset TAM forecasting
- Early reads on supply chain constraints
- Non-promotional, data-first communication style
He was one of the few analysts who could sit with:
- handset OEMs
- RF module suppliers
- foundries
- component distributors
…and synthesize a coherent, cycle-accurate view.
This is exactly what Qualcomm’s IR needed.
4. Why Qualcomm Recruited Him (Strategic Rationale)
Qualcomm’s IR has been evolving from:
- “handset-centric messaging” ?
- “multi-segment, multi-node, AI-driven growth story.”
Simpson brings:
- credibility with top-tier institutions
- technical fluency to explain Qualcomm’s AI and automotive strategy
- supply-chain literacy to counter handset-cycle skepticism
- global relationships across Europe and Asia
This is a signal hire — Qualcomm wanted someone who could elevate the narrative with hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and long-onlys who demand deep technical clarity. |
