If, as the Greek philosopher Heraclitus posited, “the only constant in life is change,” then it follows that reinvention is the key to success. Few places have embraced this truth as fulsomely as Penang, the island-state nestled off peninsular Malaysia’s west coast that was synonymous with betel trees before the late 18th century arrival of British colonizers heralded a new dawn as a flourishing trading post. Over the decades, competition with freewheeling Singapore spurred Penang to refocus on tourism, services, and manufacturing, particularly backend semiconductor assembly and testing.