Quitting law career to chase gaming passion: How Min-Liang Tan became one of Singapore’s youngest self-made billionaires

Razer started out making high-performance gaming mice before expanding its lineup to include headphones, keyboards, laptops, smartphones, and eventually software and services. Today, the company describes itself as the world’s largest gamer-focused ecosystem.

It went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2017 with an IPO that propelled Tan, its co-founder, chairman, and CEO, to become Singapore’s youngest self-made billionaire at the time, at age 40.

Though the title is now held by two of internet giant Sea Limited’s co-founders, according to Forbes’ 2025 ranking, Tan remains one of only six billionaires in the city-state under the age of 50.

Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer, attends the debut of the company at the Hong Kong Exchanges in Hong Kong, China, Nov. 13, 2017. Photo by Reuters

Tan's entrepreneurial journey began far from the gaming world he now thrives in. As the youngest of four, Tan grew up in a household that placed a high value on conventional success.

With two siblings who are doctors and the other a lawyer, his Singaporean parents expected him to follow a similar path. He studied law at the National University of Singapore and later served as an advocate and solicitor at the city-state’s Supreme Court.

But Tan has always had another passion since he was a child—gaming. He recalled being scolded for spending too much time on the computer, yet the pull of video games never faded. Even while working as a lawyer, he continued gaming after office hours.

"I’ve always been a gamer first and a lawyer second," he told CNBC in a 2011 interview.

"While I enjoyed being a lawyer, there was always something inside of me that wanted to go out and do something different."

He eventually followed his heart, leaving his legal career behind and co-founding Razer in 2005 with Robert Krakoff, an American friend he met through online gaming.

What drove the duo was, at first, simply a desire to enhance their own gaming experience, true to the brand’s slogan: "For games. By gamers."

"We said, ‘Is there a possibility for us to build a better mouse?’" Tan recalled. "All we wanted to do was compete with the rest of the gamers out there."

It was not about chasing profits, he said, but about passion and striving to be the best.

"I have always been a gamer myself, it’s my interest. If you’re really designing a product for yourself, you’ll design the best product," he told the South China Morning Post.

"You won’t compromise, and will use the best material, the best technology."

According to Tan, gaming is one of the "fastest-growing and most accessible forms of entertainment" and a "universal language" that connects people across cultures, borders, and backgrounds.

It is also a massive industry. The global video game market generated US$196 billion in revenues in 2023, more than both streaming and box office combined, according to consultancy Bain & Company. The figure is projected to reach $257 billion by 2028.

The market’s potential, as well as that of Razer, was quickly recognized and the firm received backing from several major investors, including Singapore’s state-owned fund Temasek Holdings and Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka Shing.

In 2022, Tan led a consortium to take Razer private, believing the company was undervalued on the market, through a deal that valued it at $3.2 billion.

Before its delisting, Razer had posted a net profit of $46 million, up eight times from the previous year, and $1.6 billion in revenues for 2021.

As the brand’s influence in the gaming world grew, so did its ambitions. Razer pushed to expand its software and services business, including fintech, all while keeping its focus on its core customers—not just gamers, but also youth.

"I’m seeing a paradigm shift, where the gamer has become really synonymous with youth, and Razer has become a key way to reach the youth," Tan said.

In an interview with Forbes last year, Tan said his long-term vision for Razer is for it to keep innovating and deepening its engagement with the gaming community.

"Ultimately, we will continue to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity as we build the most amazing gaming products," Tan said.

The gamer’s competitive spirit

Tan credits much of his success to his father, a real estate consultant, and his mother, a homemaker, calling them the most important and influential figures in his life.

"They had a very clear vision of what they wanted us to do, but at the same time not to the extent where they were cramping our style, but really kind of guiding us to do a couple of things," he told The Straits Times, adding that they fostered in him an "insane drive to be the best."

Nonetheless, Tan does not consider himself the standout in the family. He calls his older brother Min-Han Tan, a medical oncologist, "insanely smart" and refers to him as the real overachiever. His two older sisters, a family physician and a lawyer, also built accomplished careers of their own.

He also points to the competitive spirit of a gamer, calling it his main drive.

"We could have just stopped at making a mouse. We could have stopped at hardware. We’ve gone on to build an entire ecosystem," he remarked.

When asked by business-lifestyle magazine The Peak to share some wealth lessons, Tan showed little interest in prescribing a traditional formula of success.

"No lessons," he replied, though he explained that, as a gamer, he views obstacles as challenges to overcome. He also stressed the importance of relentlessly moving forward and innovating.

"We’re always looking forward to what’s next, what else are we going to conquer, what else are we going to take over, what great things can we do in the next five to 10 years," he said.

"I worry if there’s a day I look back and start patting myself on the shoulder – that’s the day I think it would really suck."