If you’re a gamer, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Razer, a brand that has become almost synonymous with gaming peripherals since its inception in 2005. Back then, gaming was a much more niche market and specialty gaming peripherals barely existed as a hardware category. In the decades since, the market has exploded, and while some underrated brands have become competitors to Razer, the company has maintained its position at the forefront, now partnering outside of the hardware sphere with luxury brands like Dolce, Gabbana, and Lamborghini. It’s even started to creep into the productivity realm, and at least one doctor is using Razer products to help treat his patients.
As the brand has evolved, so has its ownership. Originally founded by Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff, the company went public and then reverted to private ownership. Tan has maintained a stake in the company throughout his life and currently retains a 39% share. The rest of the company is currently owned by Singaporean businessman and early investor Lim Kaling, with 29%, and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which controls 32% of the company.
Who is the parent company of Razer?
Last Roll/Shutterstock
With its ownership split between a private equity firm and two individuals, Razer has no parent company as such. That said, it is a truly global company, with headquarters in Singapore and Irvine, California, regional headquarters in Hamburg and Shanghai, and a total of 19 offices worldwide. Razer products are primarily manufactured in China, although the company has production facilities in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The brand name is actually the result of a misunderstanding. It does not refer to “someone who shaves” but rather a misspelling of razor. The story goes that company co-founder Robert Krakoff cut himself one day while shaving and was inspired to name his company after the offending tool, but Tan failed to spell-check the incorporation documents before they were submitted, and the erroneous “E” became part of gaming peripheral history. The bright green three-headed snake logo is derived from the idea that Razer products, many of which bear the name for venomous snakes, “eat competitors’ products for lunch.”
