Digitally China Podcast: Inside Huawei’s “Wolf” Culture

Digitally China is a bi-weekly podcast from RADII hosted by Tom Xiong and Eva Xiao, and produced by Jacob Loven. On each episode, the team will tackle a different timely tech-related topic, providing key insights on all you need to know about the fast-changing nature of innovation in China. Find previous episodes of Digitally China here and subscribe on iTunes here.

Telecoms giant Huawei is one of China’s biggest success stories in tech.

No other domestic tech firm has been able to grow its business around the world and beat the competition the way the Shenzhen-based company has, despite keeping a relatively low profile — until recently.

But over the past six months, Huawei has found itself increasingly in the limelight and under public scrutiny. After the arrest of one of its top executives in December and an escalating trade war, the company has become a symbol for both China’s technological rise and ambition — and the threat that poses to countries like the US.

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To take a closer look at the company — at a more human-scale — we decided to dive into the people and the unique “wolf” culture of Huawei, from its dark history of employee suicides to inspiring “war” stories, where company staff have braved earthquakes and civil wars to serve clients.

So what makes the company tick? How does it produce both die-hard loyalists and Huawei-haters? In this episode, we explore the following topics:

• Huawei’s management system and how it works

• Founder Ren Zhengfei’s influence on the company

• Militaristic Huawei slogans and sayings

• Company training and “boot camp” initiatives

• The trade-offs of a “wolf” culture