Eva Dou is the author of The House of Huawei, an excellent book covering the personal, economic, and geopolitical arc of Huawei, China’s most important company.
We discuss…
-
The life of Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, who rose from Cultural Revolution disgrace to become one of China’s richest businessmen,
-
How Ren built Huawei, and what makes their corporate culture unique,
-
Huawei’s strategic entry into developing and high-risk markets like Libya, Iraq, and Iran, and whether the controversial deal with the UK is a threat to national security,
-
How Huawei outcompeted Chinese state-owned telecom companies and eventually achieved national champion status,
-
How Ren’s personal interest in foreign art, music, and architecture advances Huawei’s market share.
Co-hosting today is Kyle Chan, a postdoc at Princeton and author of the High Capacity Substack.
Outro music: Back Fire - Annabel Yao (YouTube Link)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices