Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 918 Three Stars in Chaos, Mi Reaches the Top!
Chen Mo's inappropriate remarks a while ago gave him an opportunity to stir up trouble with Lao Xu.

The implication is clear: Chen Mo has a history of causing trouble in the internet sector, and if he sets his sights on real estate next, it's obvious who will be the first to suffer.

Subsequently, the media fueled the flames and stirred up trouble, and within a few days, news spread that "Chen Mo was summoned for questioning."

Although it ultimately amounted to more bark than bite, it at least sowed the seeds for potential future conflicts and infighting.

This also freed up space for the ants.

Unfortunately, the public outcry failed to continue, which left him somewhat disappointed.

But this time, he learned from the lessons of Didi's IPO: Ant Group will not take a surprise attack route, nor will it play the "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" game. Instead, it will be open and straightforward.

Just as the wheels of economic development roll ever forward, they will crush all those who stand in their way into the dust of history.

I want to see how you and your other side will resist this overwhelming trend under this open conspiracy.

He was eager to see what Chen Mo's expression would be when he discovered that he was facing not a company, but an entire "food chain" led by ants.
It's going to be very exciting.
Old Ma is looking forward to the day when Ant Group successfully goes public.

Seoul, South Korea, late February.

A rumor suddenly spread rapidly within Samsung: although the chairman is receiving treatment in the hospital, he has actually been placed under house arrest by the crown prince.

In addition, the crown prince was previously sentenced for bribery and is currently struggling to deal with the appeal, making the power vacuum within the group increasingly apparent.

Lee Boo-jin, who controls the two core businesses of Summer Technology and Shilla Hotel, took the opportunity to negotiate with Samsung under the guise of "win-win cooperation," using the cooperation as a pretext to plot her succession.

With the support of political forces behind her, she forcefully entered into the group's affairs, but this caused an instant split within Samsung—two-thirds of the forces supported Lee Jae-yong, while the remaining forces sided with Lee Boo-jin.

In a short time, power struggles and negative public opinion intertwined, and the internal power struggle within Samsung reached a fever pitch.

Taking advantage of Samsung's preoccupation with its own problems, Xiaomi and Summer Technology joined forces to launch a joint offensive in the two major markets of China and South Korea, striving to seize Samsung's market share.

On March 6, Summer Technology launched its high-end flagship model, "Summer S2 Ultra," equipped with top-of-the-line features such as Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chip, Leica imaging, and a BOE screen, and uses SummerOS, a customized Android system jointly developed with Beyond.

The reason why this phone was able to be launched so efficiently is thanks to the full support of Xiaomi's mature and extremely low-cost supply chain system, which gives the Summer S2 Ultra an overwhelming cost advantage over Samsung, and its appearance even vaguely resembles the Xiaomi Mix 2.

Lee Boo-jin leveraged the duty-free shops and high-end shopping mall resources of the Shilla Hotel to establish numerous Summer brand flagship stores and experience zones. At the same time, she reached strategic partnerships with large chain electronics stores such as Hi-Mart in South Korea, using brand co-branded gift boxes and customized models to precisely attract high-end business and fashion-conscious consumers.

Summer Technology's marketing rhetoric goes straight to the heart of the matter: emphasizing Lee Boo-jin's "new generation leadership," "market opportunities in cooperation with China," and her image of "breaking the old order of the chaebols."

Consumer purchasing behavior is cleverly shaped into a symbol of "supporting reform" and "protecting the future of Korean technology".

At the beginning of the year, the battle between the "peak of the third generation" and the "rise of the fourth generation" of K-Pop girl groups was at its most intense, with TWICE and BLACKPINK each leading the way. However, Lee Boo-jin did not choose to endorse a top girl group, but instead personally promoted Summer Ultra.

The product line is comprehensive: high-end Summer Ultra, mid-range Summer S2, and low-end Redmi series from China, which quickly ignited the South Korean mobile phone market.

Lee Boo-jin, leveraging the resources of the Shilla Hotel, launched Summer Technology's products with a "queen's arrival" momentum, sweeping across the domestic market and successfully overtaking Samsung in a month-long blitzkrieg.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi is operating at full capacity in China, with factory machines running day and night, practically smoking.

The workers there experience both pain and pleasure; the work is incredibly hard, but the opportunity to earn two to three months' worth of wages in a month is rare.
Leveraging its traditional strength as a "value-for-money killer," the newly launched Mix offers higher specifications (such as fast charging, high refresh rate screen, and large memory) than Samsung's comparable products at a similar cost, covering all price segments from 1000 to 4000 RMB, leaving Samsung struggling to keep up.

Lei Jun and Lee Boo-jin complemented each other, working together both online and offline.

Offering high commissions to distributors in offline channels (especially in South Korea) incentivizes them to promote Xiaomi and Summer phones, squeezing out Samsung's retail space.

Online, they use e-commerce promotions, targeting any time period that can be clearly defined, such as transforming Women's Day into Goddess Day or Black Friday in South Korea, to package and then offer discounts and promotions.

Behind the scenes, Bi'an provided full support, utilizing Chen Tong's excellent marketing planning skills and the resources at her disposal.

By cleverly amplifying negative public opinion such as "internal strife at Samsung," "the crown prince's alleged bribery," and "the Note 7 explosion incident," the company implies that Samsung is poorly managed and its products are unreliable, while simultaneously reinforcing Xiaomi/Xia Tian's image as a "responsible local enterprise" and "stable and reliable."

Numerous review videos and articles were released, directly comparing Xiaomi/Xiatian phones with Samsung phones, highlighting the former's advantages in performance, battery life, and cost-effectiveness, and carefully selecting positive user reviews to amplify the message.

Subtly reshaping public perception of Samsung.

In March 2018, taking advantage of Samsung's weakest window of opportunity, and with the overall planning of the other side, Summer and Xiaomi quickly eroded its market share—surpassing it in the Chinese market and making a breakthrough in the South Korean market.

A series of combined blows completely stunned Samsung, which was in turmoil, and sent it crashing onto the beach like a wave.

By early April, according to statistics from authoritative third-party organizations, Summer Technology and Xiaomi Technology had topped the charts in the South Korean and global markets, respectively, and South Korean media even speculated that "Samsung may become the second Nokia."

Xiaomi achieved a 19% global smartphone market share in the past month, becoming the world's largest smartphone supplier for the first time. Apple ranked second with a 17% market share; while its performance in the Chinese market was average, this data indicates a strong showing in overseas markets.

The third place goes to Samsung, which, though weakened, is still a force to be reckoned with, with a market share of 14%.

This is the first time Xiaomi has topped the global rankings. Although it's a monthly report, it still caused a huge sensation in China.

Numerous media outlets rushed to Xiaomi to interview Lei Jun.

Lei Jun sat with his legs together and his hands obediently placed on his knees as he accepted an exclusive interview with a CCTV reporter.

"Mr. Lei, congratulations on Xiaomi becoming the world's number one in sales for the first time! What are your biggest feelings right now?"

"At this moment, I am indeed very, very excited."

This is the best reward for the hard work of all Xiaomi employees over the past eight years, and it is also the recognition of our philosophy of "making technology accessible to everyone" by hundreds of millions of users around the world!

"From starting a business to reaching the top, what do you think is the most crucial thing?"

"I believe it's about perseverance. Perseverance in building our business on technology, relentlessly focusing on product experience; perseverance in befriending users and listening to their voices; and perseverance in the efficiency revolution, maximizing cost-effectiveness."

Of course, it also wouldn't have been possible without the strong support of our partners." Lei Jun wanted to thank someone who came over, but he swallowed his words, hoping that the guy would keep a low profile.

How do you view future competition? How long can you maintain this number one position?

Lei Jun's smile faded slightly, and he became somewhat humble.
"We are very clear that this first place is only a phase, and industry competition remains fierce."

Honors are a driving force, but also a source of pressure.

Xiaomi's mission has never changed—to consistently create the coolest products so that everyone in the world can enjoy the fun that technology brings. As long as we do these things well, I believe that users will have discerning eyes.

On April 8th, in Beijing, around 8 PM, CCTV-2 broadcast this interview program.

At that moment, the person in question was having a small gathering with friends at a private restaurant within the Second Ring Road.

Cheers to our milestone victory!

Chen Mo, Lee Boo-jin, and Lei Jun reunited to celebrate this milestone success.

Xiaomi's rise to the top brought Lei Jun immense glory, Summer Tech surpassed Samsung and gained the capital to compete, and Chen Mo made a fortune through short selling overseas.

Everyone has a bright future
"How's this beer? I brought it from home, it's not for sale." Chen Mo asked, putting down his glass.

How do you know Xiaomi is number one in the world now?

"Fine, fine, you're awesome, okay!" Chen Mo was speechless at Lei Jun's smug expression, as if he had just bought the latest graphics card. How old is he? Still so childish.

"That wouldn't have been possible without your help in making the connection."

Lei Jun beamed, his smile almost overflowing from the corners of his eyes. He poured himself another glass, raised it, and said, "Eight years of entrepreneurship, eight years! I really haven't dared to relax for a single day. Finally, the clouds have parted and the moon is shining. Hmm~ This is great, it tastes wonderful."

Looking at Chen Mo in front of him, a subtle sense of frustration swept through him—he considered himself a hundred times more diligent than the other party, but Xiaomi's scale and investment were only half of the other party's, while this kid exuded a relaxed feeling of "not giving it his all".

Well, it's not that I don't try, it's just that I don't try as hard as he does.

Lei Jun felt like a hardworking top student with excellent grades, appreciated by his teachers, but unfortunately, there was a genius in his class – that's the kind of helplessness he felt.

And most importantly, the academic genius is also his own brother, who occasionally helps him along. Now that Xiaomi has topped the global mobile phone market, the peak experience brought by this achievement has finally given Lei Jun an outlet for his pent-up ambitions.
Why did he start his own business after achieving financial freedom at the age of 40?

Isn't he just holding onto a grudge and wanting to prove that he, Lei Jun, is no worse than others his age?

If he was Chen Mo's "benefactor" in the first two years, the situation had completely reversed in the following years: Chen Mo's influence was everywhere, from mobile phone design and strategic decision-making to resource allocation.

This medal of honor is indeed half his, but even more so half Chen Mo's.

Lei Jun stood up with emotion, holding his glass with both hands: "One is a brother, the other is my sister-in-law. I won't say many words of thanks; they're all in the wine!"

After saying this, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. As the wine slid down his throat, only he knew the myriad flavors he experienced.

Today, things have finally come to a satisfactory conclusion.
(End of this chapter)