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.
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 […]
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.
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.