This is Matt Reustle. Today, we are breaking down the technology conglomerate Samsung. Only Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon ranked higher than Samsung in Interbrand's latest brand value rankings, with Samsung being the fifth most valuable brand in the world. It's everywhere around us: our phones, our TVs, our refrigerators, our washing machines. But, it's not those finished products that drive the majority of Samsung's profits.

To break down Samsung, I'm joined by David Samra, Managing Director and Founding Partner of the Artisan Partners International Value Team. We go inside this vertically integrated technology giant and talk about the history of the business, the manufacturing DNA and what it means to create hardware components, and how those hardware components unlock significant opportunities in the smartphone market for Samsung.

Please enjoy this breakdown on Samsung.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

(00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns

(04:28) First Question - How he defines Samsung compared to other brands

(09:13) Samsung's history and what led them to their capabilities today

(13:59) Unique growth and shared gains in the semiconductor industry  

(18:08) Where Samsung compares to other chips in the semiconductor space 

(22:08) Risks moving into other chip production areas 

(25:53) The disparity in margin profile between divisions 

(31:29) Potential for local competitors to bring chips into the market 

(32:48) How he thinks about growing the barriers to entry for the separate businesses   

(35:15) Leaving the handset business 

(36:31) How he thinks about the business on a consolidated basis 

(41:19) Risks associated with the business

(44:09) The regulatory climate in South Korea 

(48:33) Things he learned from studying Samsung