China’s tech leaders use dramatic messages to rally the troops
Huawei CEO calls on employees not to be anti-US
When the going gets tough, how do leaders fire up their employees? In China, tech executives often turn to dramatic statements, laced with historical references.
Huawei CEO: “Never let anti-US sentiment guide our work”
Huawei has long tried to grow in the US smartphone market, repeatedly trying to partner with a local carrier without success. Despite the setbacks, the company’s founder and CEO told his staff not to develop any resentment towards the US.
Ren also invoked the story of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who was purged from the Communist Party three times during his nearly 50-year career, before he finally succeeded Mao Zedong.
“Company leaders who have been demoted … should take the opportunity to improve their abilities and achieve greater results in the future,” he wrote.
The memo went out a few weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened billions of dollars of tariffs on Chinese imports -- but before Washington punished ZTE by banning it from buying from American companies for seven years.