Huawei's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has warned staff of possible job losses and cost-cutting, following the pressure put on the Chinese company by the US and security concerns in other markets. In an email sent to employees seen by the Financial Times, Ren said "the overall situation will probably not be as bright as imagined" in the coming year, and the company will have to "prepare for times of hardship". Unrealistic goals will need to be revised, and the company will need to "give up some mediocre employees and lower labor expenses", he said.
The warning was issued already in November to top management, but sent out on 18 January to all staff, the report said. Ren said the company's steady expansion in the past 30 years may have gone too smoothly and been "destructive", adding the group will need to review whether operations in all parts of the world are efficient and in need of streamlining. Furthermore, the launch of 5G is unlikely to be as easy as 4G, requiring the group to look closely at the costs of its 180,000 staff, the.
