What is Samsung's glory and shadow that has risen from a vegetable store to one of the world's largest high-tech companies?
IT news media The Verge interviews Geoffrey Cain, author of
Samsung Rising goes deep on corruption, chaebols, and corporate chaos --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216092/samsung-rising-book-interview-geoffrey-cain
◆ Samsung Rising was published after various difficulties
Kane, a writer and journalist, had a lot of trouble getting the Samsung Rising published. What particularly plagued Mr. Kane was the closed constitution of Korean companies. 'The main obstacle was the'opacity'of becoming a journalist in South Korea, which is also seen in Japan, but it's just hard to meet people, especially for business owners and leaders,' Kane said. It's hard to respond to an interview with a foreign journalist. '
Also, 'Unlike Apple, which has countless books that talk about management and internal circumstances, even local language publications in South Korea do not reveal the actual situation of Samsung, so even the preliminary survey took a long time and patience. It took, 'says Kane.
In addition, Samsung Rising was also published in South Korea, but this book dealing with sensitive issues about Samsung has been refused by more than 14 companies. Eventually, Samsung Rising was published in South Korea through an indie publisher called Just Books, as all major publishers refused to publish this book.
Mr. Kane said that he initially tried to publish this book under the title of 'Republic of Samsung'. This is a term used when Koreans themselves critically say that Samsung is involved in every aspect of Korean life, but because this book also deals with the aspect of Samsung as a global company. It seems that he reconsidered that it was not suitable. On the contrary, the second candidate, 'The Battle for Silicon Valley,' was so far away from the Asian company Samsung that it died and settled on its current title.
Amazon | Samsung Rising: The Inside Story of the South Korean Giant That Set Out to Beat Apple and Conquer Tech | Cain, Geoffrey | South
◆ What are the factors behind Samsung's success?
'This book introduces the path that Samsung used as a model for Japanese companies and eventually defeated Sony. In particular, the cultural awe of Japanese companies at that time was impressive. 'It was,' Kane told The Verge, 'Samsung has long been essentially like a Japanese company. There are conglomerate companies in Japan that have been around since the war, but Samsung is from there. It was modeled on the idea that corporate leaders like God convey their vision from the top down, which is why Samsung employees were able to work for the glory of South Korea without any doubt. ' He said that the management policy of the superiors supported Samsung's success.
This kind of corporate culture centered on conglomerates is called 'chaibatsu culture', and it is said that it is characterized by the leadership of family-owned conglomerate companies.
'The success of high-end smartphones, such as the Galaxy series with large OLED screens,' said Kane, who has supported Samsung's growth over the last decade. 'It's not easy to become a high-end smartphone maker that can compete with Apple and Sony from a third-class manufacturer of semiconductors and microwave ovens, but it was possible because of the militaristic culture.'
On the other hand, 'The problem with Samsung is that despite having invested heavily in AI, face recognition technology, biotechnology, etc., which are said to change the world of technology, their development has not progressed much.' Over the last decade, China has made great strides in the AI software space by collecting data from its own people with WeChat, an instant messenger app. China is also making semiconductors. 'What Korea can do can be done by China,' he said, and this is the problem of Korea now. 'He pointed out that he is facing the catch-up of Chinese companies.
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◆ Samsung was also strong against scandals
One of Samsung's most famous scandals is the Galaxy Note 7 explosion problem . Not only was this discontinued or recalled , but the Galaxy Note 7 became a smoky Halloween costume, and it appeared as a bomb in a popular game, significantly damaging the brand image. ..
'It's a very good question, which shows that Samsung is a big company and resilient,' Kane replied to The Verge, who asked why Samsung got up from this problem. 'Samsung is a successful company in a crisis. Samsung has experienced problems such as executive corruption, sex scandals, political crises and product flaws, and Samsung leaders embezzlement and tax evasion. He has been in and out of court for all sorts of charges, including accusations, alleged stock trading and the destruction of evidence of financial problems, but Samsung has survived unharmed if it fails. '
The reason Samsung survived these scandals is not just because of its corporate strength. Kane said, 'Consumers quickly forget and shift to the next thing. Smartphones released shortly after the Galaxy Note 7 were initially scrutinized, but quickly got a good reputation. 'I'm getting it.' 'Samsung has been attacking me all the time while writing the book. It's like I'm a big threat to their brand, even though I'm just writing an email on my smartphone. I was trying to silence me as if, 'he said, suggesting that Samsung has survived the crisis due to the fickle nature of consumers and the aggressive attacks on those who are trying to address the issue. did.
Also, regarding the Galaxy Fold, which suffered from the problem of 'the screen is easily cracked' like the Galaxy Note 7, Mr. Kane said, 'The difference from the Galaxy Note 7 is that the problem becomes clear when it is lucky enough to be in the hands of the reviewer. They were in a hurry to get to market, but it would have been a catastrophe if it had reached so many people. '
In addition, 'Various models of mobile phones, which were the predecessors of smartphones, such as foldable ones and slide type ones, have appeared, and I was able to buy them at a very low price. I think that applies to smartphones as well. Samsung's first foldable smartphone will eventually become mediocre, 'he said.
◆ Samsung that supports Korean culture
Kane also adds a unique perspective to the success of Korean culture, symbolized by
Lee Mi -gyeong, the granddaughter of Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul , is mentioned by Kane as a person who was particularly instrumental in the success of the movie 'Parasite Semi-Underground Family.' At the time of its establishment, CJ Group, a major Korean food manufacturer with Lee Mi-gyeong as vice chairman, was nothing more than a confectionery manufacturer called Daiichi Sugar Industry Co., Ltd., which is under the umbrella of Samsung Group. However, faced with the fact that the image of South Korea is too low in life in the United States, Lee Mi-gyeong is a Korean movie version through DreamWorks, a movie company that was founded by persuading Hollywood big names such as Steven Spielberg. It played a role in expanding the figure.
From these cases, Mr. Kane said, 'I think this is proof of the influence of Samsung's founding family. Whether it is a smartphone or a movie, there is always Samsung where Korean culture goes out to the world. '.
Samsung's founding family also has a great influence on South Korea's international politics. “The first thing South Korea's President Mun Jae- in did when he took office was to go to North Korea with Samsung's de facto vice chairman Lee Jae-yong ,” said Kane.・ It is unbelievable given that Mr. Jae-yong has been arrested and charged with bribery and misappropriation. For example, when President Trump goes to an important summit to meet with Prime Minister Abe, goodwill to Japan. As a symbol of the above, it is like having Bernie Madov , the criminal of the huge fraud case, accompany him. It is unthinkable in other countries. ' I pointed out.
◆ What is the future of Samsung?
As of April 2020, Samsung's nominal leader is Chairman Lee Kun-hee. However, Chairman Lee Kun-hee has been hospitalized for a long time due to health problems and is said to remain unconscious.
Regarding Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Mr. Kane said, 'I have never visited his hospital room, so I do not know my health condition. I've heard it's being treated. Can you imagine Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg going unconscious and staying in the life-sustaining device for more than six years on Facebook? This is unusual? So it's very interesting. '
According to Kane, Samsung continues to be run by educated and talented executives without the direction of Chairman Lee Kun-hee. In this regard, Kane said, 'I consider the founder family to be the chief business planner rather than the'chairman'. They set the vision, but Samsung's day-to-day operations are executives of the founder family. It is carried out independently without being instructed by the government. This is very similar to the prewar Japanese conglomerate model. '
Meanwhile, de facto leader Lee Jae-yong said, 'Most of the information Samsung gives about him is vague, which is a good sign for someone trying to take over one of the world's largest tech companies. I can't say that, 'he said, saying that the management skills of Lee Jae-yong, who will lead Samsung in the future, are unknown.
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