Lei Jun is equally opposed to Apple and Samsung
Lei Jun is considered in the technology market as China's Steve Jobs, having managed to build an empire worth 45 billion dollars, and thus Forbes has ranked him (as of 2014) on the list of Asia's richest businessmen.
Alongside the technological giants of Apple, Samsung and Huawei, the smartphone sales company Xiaomi, the "child" of 45-year-old Jun, now figures. Its reputation is soaring day by day since its products combine two, often incompatible, characteristics: high quality and low price.
In 2014, the company sold 61 million phones, a particularly significant number considering that the products are not on the shelves of Western countries, only in China, India and Indonesia.
"If I had said four years ago that I would do this, I would have had no credibility," Lei Jun tells Forbes Asia.
The Redmi2 smartphone sells for just $113, has a 4.7-inch screen and a quad-core processor. Many Westerners call Xiaomi's products "monkey", but consumers give a vote of confidence and continue to buy them. And the company doesn't spend much on advertising, since it sells its products mainly online and promotes them through social media.
