Asianometry Xiaomi is Why Apple Should Have Made a Car
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Mar 23, 2025 Xiaomi made waves by transforming from a smartphone giant to a contender in the electric vehicle market. The company’s co-founder, Lei Jun, shares lessons from early failures that guided this ambitious pivot. Discover how Xiaomi's innovative MIUI software set them apart and the challenges they faced in a maturing phone market. The podcast also dives into the booming electric vehicle scene in China and Xiaomi's strategy to carve out its niche, suggesting parallels with Apple's potential automotive journey.
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Lei Jun's Early Career
- Lei Jun, inspired by Silicon Valley, founded a software company and joined Kingsoft.
- He rose quickly, becoming general manager at 29, but faced setbacks with the WPS software.
Xiaomi's Founding
- After Kingsoft, Lei Jun became an angel investor and then co-founded Xiaomi in 2010.
- Xiaomi's first product was MIUI, a custom Android interface, not a phone.
Xiaomi's MIUI and Mi One
- Xiaomi's MIUI gained 300,000 users in a year through word-of-mouth.
- Their first phone, the Mi One, offered flagship specs at a low price, disrupting the market.