In this podcast episode, Jeffrey Towson discusses four options for how Huawei can respond to the US tech ban on its smartphone business. These options include fixing the supply chain, becoming a digital platform, ignoring Europe, and trying to build an anti-US alliance for smartphone operating systems. Towson argues that Huawei’s best option is to become a digital platform, as this would allow it to continue to innovate and grow its business even in the face of the US tech ban.
When the SARS virus swept through China / Asia in 2002-2003, it resulted in millions of workers isolating themselves in their homes. And this phenomenon turned out to be pivotal for several, now dominant digital companies. For then small company Alibaba, it created a surge of activity in e-commerce. And for then physical-only retailer JD, […]
The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported on a new initiative by the US government to create a competitor in telecommunications equipment. The companies involved include Dell, Microsoft and AT&T. They are calling it a 5G alternative but that is not really accurate as this technology changes fast (3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, etc.). This is about […]
I keep an eye out for digital phenomena where China / Asia is on the frontier. We’ve seen this sort of digital leadership in mobile apps, mobile payments and e-commerce. And after meeting with head of smart cities at Huawei, I am convinced we are seeing the same phenomenon in smart cities. Below is my […]
I attended the WeChat Open Class in Guangzhou and WeChat Work 3.0 was one of the big topics this year. There is a growing suite of digital tools for enterprise management, communication and collaboration. And they raise some fascinating strategy questions. It’s clear that enterprise tools in mobile-first China are going to evolve differently. These […]
Cheers from Laos, I’m in the capital Vientiane getting a new visa. And it turns out this is sleepy city is a good place to hide during the coronavirus situation. No crowds. No subways. I rarely pass anyone on the street. I’m literally sitting all alone in a café right now. In terms of Asia […]
In this class, Jeffrey Towson discusses four options that Huawei could have taken to respond to the US tech ban. These options include fixing the supply chain and staying the course, becoming a digital platform, ignoring Europe and focusing mostly on China, and trying to build an anti-US alliance for smartphone operating systems. Towson argues that Huawei should have focused on becoming a digital platform, as this would have allowed the company to continue to innovate and grow.
I recently attended WeChat’s Open Class in Guangzhou. It is their big annual event for developers and there were lots of updates on WeChat Work and Mini-Programs. I will be writing about these in subsequent articles. But it was WeChat founder Allen Zhang’s introductory comments that have really stayed with me. He talked about how […]
Happy Friday everyone. Three quick reads for the Daily Update. Have a great weekend. – jeff TikTok Is Rocking Facebook TikTok continues to go international fast. Here is a good summary at SCMP, which claims Tiktok was the second most downloaded app globally in 2019 (although take these numbers with a big grain of […]
Jeffrey Towson visited the WeChat Open Class in Guangzhou and was impressed by the company’s platform business model, its focus on social and transactional features, and its ability to adapt to the needs of Chinese consumers. He believes that WeChat is smarter than Apple and Facebook because it has a better understanding of the Chinese market and is able to offer a more comprehensive suite of services.