Chinese smartphone giant OnePlus is undergoing a leadership reshuffle in India, with veteran Robin Liu returning to head its operations. This comes amidst a boycott from offline retailers and the Indian government’s push for local talent in leadership roles.

Robin Liu Returns as CEO Amid Leadership Shakeup

Liu, who previously served as the head of sales for OnePlus India for nearly two years, replaces Lincle Peng, who has stepped down. This leadership change coincides with the departure of other senior executives, including Samrudh Pai, formerly head of offline business, and Ranjeet Singh, sales director. Singh has been reassigned to lead the online sales channel.

The reshuffle comes at a critical time for OnePlus India. The company has been facing friction with its offline retailer network. In April, major retail chains across several Indian states halted sales of OnePlus phones citing issues like low profit margins, delayed settlements of claims, and product bundling practices. The South Indian Organised Retailers Association (ORA) accused OnePlus of prioritizing online channels and neglecting robust distribution through traditional retail stores.

This discontentment also extended to northern regions, with retailers alleging OnePlus of diverting stock from offline channels to online aggregators, disrupting sales cycles and tax collection. While OnePlus claims to have settled most outstanding claims, ORA members report a remaining 10-20% unresolved, leading to a continued halt in purchases since April.

The appointment of a Chinese executive to lead Indian operations stands in contrast to the Indian government’s efforts to promote local talent in leadership positions. This decision by OnePlus might raise further questions regarding the company’s commitment to the Indian market and its long-term strategy for offline retail partnerships.

OnePlus is having a launch event on July 16 in Milan to unveil the Nord 4 smartphone. The phone is rumored to be a rebranded version of the China-only OnePlus Ace 3V and might sport a metal design, 120Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip, and 50MP main camera. Other expected launches include the OnePlus Watch 2R (international version of the Watch 2) and the OnePlus Buds Pro 3.

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Weibo CEO Gaofei Wang, known on the platform as “Between coming and going” (来去之间), recently voiced his frustrations on Weibo after an unusual experience with his mobile service.

Gaofei shared that his mobile SMS receiving function was suspended because he missed a call from 96110, a number designated for anti-fraud alerts. This action was taken after his number received overseas calls, leading to a missed anti-fraud reminder call.

Weibo CEO Confronts SMS Suspension Over Missed Anti-Fraud Call

Seeking answers, Gaofei questioned the logic behind this decision by tagging China Mobile in his post. He inquired about the rationale for such a measure and the process for restoring his SMS service. This incident highlights the sometimes rigid policies telecom companies may have in place for fraud prevention, even affecting high-profile individuals like the CEO of a major social media platform.

The incident resonated with many netizens, with some humorously sharing their own negative experiences. One user commented, “Tell me how to complain about Weibo customer service, and I will tell you how to complain about the SMS suspension.” This sentiment resonated with Wang, who acknowledged the struggles many face with customer service, stating, “10086 (China Mobile’s customer service hotline) said they noted it, but couldn’t resolve it, just like our customer service…”

In addition, Weibo influencer “Granny from Jiangning” (江宁婆婆) joined the conversation by retweeting Gaofei’s post and playfully advising him to check Weibo more often. This was accompanied by an image urging people to always answer calls from 96110.

Gaofei acknowledged the reminder but pointed out the impracticality of always being available to answer calls, especially during meetings. He questioned the reasonableness of the business logic that led to the suspension of his SMS service for missing a call.

The number 96110 is part of a broader initiative to combat telecom and network fraud. It serves as a crucial tool for warning and prevention, making it imperative for users to respond to calls from this number. It also acts as a helpline for reporting suspicious activities, playing a significant role in fraud prevention efforts.

The online debate surrounding Wang’s experience is likely to continue, prompting further discussion about the effectiveness of anti-fraud strategies and the need for customer-centric approaches in the telecom industry. It remains to be seen how China Mobile will respond to the concerns.

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Huawei’s CEO, Richard Yu, recently revealed at the China EV100 Forum that Huawei’s failure rate is only a fraction of Apple’s, marking a significant turnaround for the company’s quality management system. When Yu first took over the business, Huawei’s failure rate was much higher than Apple’s, but the situation has now reversed.

Huawei’s continuous investment in research and development, amounting to 25.1% of their annual revenue in 2022, has enabled the company to achieve high-quality smartphones and a better consumer experience. The company’s focus on quality and consumers has been emphasized by Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, who stated that quality is the highest priority for Huawei, above cost and profit.

The latest flagship devices from Huawei, the P60 series and Mate X3 foldable phone, are a testament to the company’s commitment to providing the best customer user experience. These devices come with HarmonyOS-powered software, providing a bug-free and smoother user experience.

In contrast, Apple’s recent releases have been plagued by bugs that have disrupted iOS, highlighting the challenges of adding new features to smartphones. While Apple may be low-key in its innovations, it is crucial for the company to address these bugs to maintain its market position.

Overall, Huawei’s success in improving its failure rate and providing a better customer experience demonstrates the importance of continuous improvement and investment in research and development. As the smartphone market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how companies like Huawei and Apple adapt and innovate to meet future challenges.

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(Source)

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In a groundbreaking move, NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, announced the appointment of its new CEO ‘Ms. Tang Yu’. However, Ms Tang Yu is not your average human CEO, Ms Tang Yu is actually a female AI hired as an executive leader for the company.

This appointment marks the first time in history that an AI or robot has held an executive position in a company. The decision to appoint Ms Tang Yu as CEO is part of NetDragon’s efforts to use artificial intellgence to transform corporate management and boost operational efficiency to a higher level.

For context, NetDragon is a large China-based tech conglomerate that owns several Western IPs such as Edmodo, the online education service, and games such as Disney Fantasy Online, Heroes of Might and Magic Online, and Transformers Online. NetDragon is also the parent company of Jumpstart Games which has published games like Jumpstart, Blaster Learning System and Neopets – the popular virtual pet website where users can own virtual pets called “Neopets” and buy virtual items for them using real money.

NetDragon Websoft is known for its innovative approach to technology in Asia and this latest move further cements its position as a leader in the industry. The appointment of Ms. Tang Yu as CEO has generated significant interest and discussion within the business community.

Ms Tang joined NetDragon in September 2017 and was the Vice President of NetDragon before her appointment as CEO recently. She was deeply involved in the company’s AI+ management, metaverse organization strategic planning and projects in the company. 

As CEO, Ms Tang Yu is responsible for all of the typical duties of a human company figurehead: reviewing high-level analytics, making leadership decisions, assessing risks, and fostering an efficient workplace in the company. 

She can work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and does not have to sleep. Her yearly salary is $0, her yearly bonuses are also zero, and when compared to her human counterparts which cost their respective companies up to millions in expenses per year. 

The Hustle also reports that after her appointment as CEO, NetDragon Websoft actually managed to outperform the Hong Kong stock market index, showing an 18.2% growth increase in stock value compared to the other Hong Kong companies. 

However, this isn’t the first time that AI has human workers under its supervision because OpenAI revealed recently that their GPT-4 AI is now smart enough to hire a human worker to solve CAPTCHAs for it after it realised it couldn’t solve them itself.

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Susan Wojcicki, who is YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and one of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley, has announced that she is stepping down from her role at the world’s most popular video-sharing platform.

In a letter to employees, she says that she will start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects. Wojcicki will still be involved with Google and Alphabet moving forward but in an advisory role.

Susan Wojcicki has been a significant part of Google ever since the company was formed. In the early days of Google, the company was headquartered in Ms. Wojcicki’s garage. Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are her personal friends, and after becoming one of the earliest employees of the company, she climbed the ranks and became responsible for YouTube after its acquisition by Google, making the video platform one of the world’s largest social media companies.

Neal Mohan, who is YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, will take over her responsibilities. Interestingly, Mohan will be the Senior Vice-President and Head of YouTube rather than the CEO. He helped to launch YouTube TV, YouTube Music, Premium, and Shorts and has also led the platform’s trust and safety team. 

Talking about Neal Mohan, Wojcicki says, “with all we’re doing across Shorts, streaming and subscriptions, together with the promises of AI, YouTube’s most exciting opportunities are ahead, and Neal is the right person to lead us.”

Among her earlier roles, she was the first product manager of AdSense and also played a role in the earliest Google Doodles. She encouraged the company to acquire YouTube and, years later, was leading the platform as its CEO. YouTube has now become an important part of Google and Alphabet, accounting for over 10 percent of the company’s total revenue last year.

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Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has announced that he will resign from his position as CEO of Twitter. The decision comes after a poll in which 57% of respondents voted for Musk to step down from his role at the social media platform.

Elon Musk announces resignation as Twitter CEO following poll

Elon Musk has announced that he will step down as CEO of Twitter, following a poll in which 57% of respondents voted for him to resign. In a tweet, Musk stated that he will resign “as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job” and will instead focus on running the software and servers teams.

Musk’s time as CEO of Twitter has been marked by a series of controversies and policy changes. Shortly after taking over the social media platform in October, Musk fired approximately half of Twitter’s staff and attempted to roll out a paid-for verification feature, which was eventually put on hold. The feature was relaunched last week.

Musk has also faced criticism from civil liberties groups for his approach to content moderation, with some accusing him of taking steps that will increase hate speech and misinformation on the platform.

On Friday, Musk was condemned by the United Nations and European Union over Twitter’s decision to suspend a number of journalists who cover the social media company. The UN tweeted that media freedom was “not a toy,” while the EU threatened Twitter with sanctions.

It remains to be seen who will replace Musk as CEO of Twitter. The billionaire CEO has a history of making and reversing decisions quickly, and it is possible that he may change his mind about stepping down in the future. In the meantime, Twitter users will be watching to see how the social media platform evolves under new leadership.

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(via)

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Arm Ltd, a known chip technology firm, has just announced that it is replacing the chief executive officer of its China joint venture. Allen Wu is stepping down and has been replaced as the CEO.

The SoftBank Group owned company has appointed Ken Phua and Phil Tang, through a decision from the company’s China board of directors. The new co-CEOs will work together to replace Allen Wu, that was heading the joint venture as chairman and CEO. For those unaware, the Shanghai based joint venture is between the British chip designer Arm Ltd and the Chinese private equity firm Hopu Investments.

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In a statement, Joe Zeng, managing director of Hpu’s Arm Innovation fund, stated that he is “confident in Arm China’s progress, and we are glad to see Arm’s continuous commitment and support to the China market.” Arm China generates revenue by licensing chip architecture to Chinese companies, with SoftBank having a 51% stack in the company.

Notably, back in 2019, the chip design maker had announced that it would continue to supply its chip designs to Huawei since it did not breach US rules. Despite saying this in October 2019, the disputes between the US and China trade relations are still strained. So, it also remains to be seen how the new leadership changes affect the Huawei and Arm relations.

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Ren Zhengfei, the Founder and CEO of Huawei Technologies, recently stated a few interesting points regarding his position in the company in an interview with South China Morning Post. He said that he is not a spiritual leader of Huawei, but rather a puppet leader.

According to the senior executive, he hopes to be forgotten over time and his biggest wish “is to drink coffee in a cafe unnoticed.” Ren Zhengfei went on to say that “I’m just an old man. What’s the point of remembering me? People should think more about the future and the world.” This is easier said than done considering his position in the Chinese tech giant, which is also currently in the epicenter of the US and China trade wars.

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In recent times, Huawei has been facing numerous complications and hindrances by the US government. This led to Ren to finally stepping out from his management position behind the stages and take the reigns of the company again after years. Back in 2019, the company faced a trade ban in the US, causing it to be blacklisted from buying or selling goods to US based companies. Earlier this year, the US tried to further hamper Huawei’s situation by limiting its chip supply through TSMC, the largest contract chip manufacturer.

Despite certain long time employees calling Ren “the definite leader, the spiritual leader in Huawei,” he considers himself to be just a puppet to the Rotating Chairmen. In Huawei’s top brass, there are three Rotating Chairman that cycle between one another to lead the company. The constant cycling is done to prevent ideas and creativity to lower under single management and apparently Ren abides by them as well.

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Earlier today, during a joint conference by LeEco (LeTV) and Coolpad, it was officially announced that former Huawei President, Liu Jianfeng will be coming on board and taking the reigns as CEO of Coolpad Group. He will also serve as special adviser to LeEco Chairman, Jia Yueting.

Liu Jianfeng was the President of Huawei’s Consumer Business Unit up until 17th of February, 2015 when he announced his resignation. He played a pivotal role towards the company’s current success and he’s expected to replicate that success at Coolpad.

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Coolpad has seen some major changes in recent times following LeEco’s new position as the largest shareholder of the company. A sub-brand called CoolEco has been formed by both companies and they have also launched their first jointly-made phone, the Cool 1, under the new brand.

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