{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1754310,
        "msgid": "im-not-steve-jobs-from-china-1779542778",
        "date": "2026-05-21 11:40:00",
        "title": "I'm Not Steve Jobs from China",
        "author": "Soffya Ranti",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Business",
        "summary": "Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder, rejects being dubbed the 'Steve Jobs of China' and has criticised how the media shapes Xiaomi's image. He voiced his discomfort in a 2013 post on Xiaomi's official blog, arguing that Xiaomi and Apple are fundamentally different. He also challenged biased labels like 'baofahu' and 'shanzhai' and noted that the Journal subsequently stopped using the latter.",
        "content": "<p>Xiaomi founder Lei Jun has long been nicknamed the Steve Jobs of\nChina. The nickname linking him to Apple\u2019s founder originated from a\nrange of similarities, from his attire style, leadership approach,\nbusiness vision, to the product philosophy developed by Xiaomi. Although\nit sounds like praise, Lei Jun, who admires the legendary innovator, is\nactually uncomfortable with the comparison. He admitted feeling uneasy\nat being continually associated with Jobs. He expressed this in a\nlengthy post on Xiaomi\u2019s official China blog in October 2013. In the\npost, Lei Jun explained many things, including his disappointment at how\nthe media and netizens described Xiaomi and the man behind the company.\nHe also responded to his frequent comparisons to Steve Jobs. \u2018Jobs is a\ngreat man. He did brilliant things, changed the world, and was a major\nsource of inspiration for Xiaomi. However, comparing me to him is not at\nall appropriate,\u2019 said the man who is now around 56. Lei Jun also\nemphasised that Xiaomi and Apple are two companies with very different\ncharacters. Consequently, he was surprised when asked in interviews\nabout his view on the nickname \u2018Steve Jobs of China\u2019. \u2018I really cannot\nsay anything,\u2019 Jun said. At that time, exactly three years after Xiaomi\nwas officially founded in 2010, he was often confronted with questions\nsuch as \u2018How can Xiaomi be superior to Apple or Samsung?\u2019 According to\nJun, he could not answer these questions given that Xiaomi at that time\nwas still a relatively new company. \u2018Xiaomi had only been operating for\nthree years; how could I compare it with global giants like Apple or\nSamsung,\u2019 Jun explained. In the same post, Lei Jun also shared his\nconcerns about how the media, particularly Chinese media, described\nXiaomi. He highlighted the use of the term \u2018baofahu\u2019, a label used for\npeople of lower class who suddenly become rich. According to him, the\nterm is biased and could lead the public to misunderstand Xiaomi\u2019s\nposition. For example, he cited the Wall Street Journal which had\nlabelled Xiaomi as \u2018shanzhai\u2019 or a company that produces counterfeit\ngoods. However, after the outlet conducted a direct interview and delved\ndeeper into Xiaomi\u2019s business, that label was no longer used. \u2018The Wall\nStreet Journal has never again accused us of making cheap phones because\nthey looked at our numbers (growth),\u2019 Jun said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/im-not-steve-jobs-from-china-1779542778",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}