Mobile so sorry in advance ;
To preface this, I work in a semiconductor plant. My plant alone supplies 60% of all semiconductors used in backup cameras globally, and that's just one thing we make. The company I work for is one of the KEY suppliers for automotive semiconductors. We make other semiconductors, not just ones for automotive, it's just our biggest thing. Today I had a co-worker, who is also a good friend and my union steward ( fun fact, my plant is the only semiconductor plant in the country (USA) to have a union), tell me that in an all hand employee meeting that was live streamed, our CEO admitted in plain words that there is no chip shortage, they are simply making a shit ton of semiconductors and then storing them. “The company is making a LOT of money” he said. I couldn't belive what I was told but at the same time I could. Car prices have gone through the roof, hospitals short on equipment ( we make semiconductors for Healthcare too), litteraly anything that's electronic has gone up so much in price because of this “chip shortage” that never existed in the first place. Of course there's no way to prove this, as far as I know. I don't think there's a recording of this all hands meeting, and it would be the word of the employees VS the company if anyone made a big splash about it. I won't belive a word that any corporate person has to say ever again.