Jeffrey Towson met with Huawei Chairman Guo Ping for lunch and learned three important lessons. First, Huawei invests heavily in human resources. Second, Huawei is agile and adaptable. Third, Huawei benefits from economies of scale.
Category Archives: China
Why Did Ofo Fail? What Should They Have Done? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 8)
Jeffrey Towson discusses what Ofo could have done to avoid its downfall. He argues that Ofo made a number of strategic mistakes, including burning through too much cash, expanding too quickly, and failing to innovate. Towson believes that if Ofo had taken a more conservative approach, it might still be in business today.
Will Luckin, Mobike, Didi or WeWork Ever Be Profitable? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 6)
Jeffrey Towson argues that Chinese startups like Luckin Coffee, Mobike, Didi Chuxing, and WeWork are facing increasing challenges. He says that these companies are facing more competition, regulatory scrutiny, and rising costs. As a result, it is unclear if these companies will be able to achieve profitability in the long run.
How Alibaba Singles’ Day Is Changing E-Commerce Everywhere
It’s Singles’ Day 2019! Woooohooooo!!! I am doing a little dance here in my hotel in Hangzhou. I look ridiculous. Singles’ Day launched at midnight last night and I was at the media center in Hangzhou for the opening (see above photo). And I spent yesterday with the Alibaba team getting a bit of a […]
Huawei Is Digging In for a Long-Fight. And They Are Probably Going to Win. (pt 4 of 4)
Ok. My last take-away from my visit to Huawei HQ. Thanks if you’ve hung in this long. Take-Away #5: Huawei Is Digging In for a Long-Fight. And They Are Probably Going to Win. Chairman Liang Hua ended the press conference by saying they are both “fighting for survival” and “seeking growth”. That is a pretty […]
The Real Impact of the Huawei Export Ban Is Still On the Way (pt 3 of 4)
This Part 3 of my take-aways from my visit to Huawei HQ in Shenzhen. I got to talk with management and tour some facilities. But the key event was the press conference where Huawei released their post-US export ban financials. First, this was a pretty cool press conference. They put out their half year revenue […]
Post US Export Ban, Huawei is Going For Tech Leadership (pt 2 of 4)
This is Part 2 of my take-aways from my visit to Huawei headquarters. You can find Part 1 here. I’ll be releasing more in-depth articles shortly. One of the cooler parts of Huawei is the “European town” campus they have built in Dongguan. A $1.5B campus based on multiple European towns. There is Verona. There […]
Huawei Going “Battle Mode” Is Bad News For Ericsson. Take-Aways from My Visit to Huawei HQ (pt 1 of 4)
I had a pretty great trip to the Huawei headquarters for their half year earnings’ release. Fascinating discussions with management. Some touring of the facilities. And I even got a good seat at the big press conference. FYI. Here’s what the back of Chairman Liang Hua’s head looks like. I’ve got 5-6 articles coming out […]
From Didi to Mobike to Luckin: How Money and Hype Are Distorting Digital China
Digital China has arrived. It has unicorns, huge market opportunities and a pervasive cultural impact. Everything is now at world-class scale. Unfortunately, the distorting impact of hot money and hype has also scaled up. And this appears to be increasing. But first…consider joining my executive education course Jeff’s Asia Tech Class for deeper insights into […]
7 Things Everyone Is Getting Wrong About the Luckin IPO (Pt 2 of 2)
The Luckin Coffee SEC filing is out. So we can finally see their numbers. This is Part 2 of what I think is being misunderstood about Luckin. Part 1 is here. #5: Luckin is not really about increasing mass-market coffee consumption in China. Luckin is engaged in a Herculean effort to get Chinese to drink […]