For us Pinoys, we usually think of Huawei as a tech brand that makes smartphones that create pro-like photos. Since its collaboration with the iconic camera brand Leica on the Huawei P9 Series, Huawei has become a popular choice by photography enthusiasts and selfie/ootd loving creatures like me.
I got to know Huawei in 2012 when I decided to switch to another brand after a traumatic hold-up experience on my way to work. That time, I just wanted a phone that wouldn’t interest thieves because it was unheard of (here in the Philippines at that time). Little did I know that this traumatic incident would ignite my love affair with Huawei. After purchasing my 1st Huawei phone (Huawei Ascend Mate then already had 4000mAh) in 2012, I never used any other brand.
As my love affair with Huawei flourished, I became more and more curious about the people behind it and its company culture. Recently, I got invited to join their annual media trip in Shanghai and Shenzhen to visit their R&D Center and actual factory to witness how they assemble smartphones. I definitely learned a whole lot in this trip so I listed down things which I found really interesting about Huawei.
10. They have this 1.25 MILLION sqm meter campus with European castle-like buildings.
During our Huawei HQ visit, I was expecting to see the usual boring, stiff and conservative office buildings but no, check this out (show photo)
I never expected the place to be this massive and beautiful. Being here felt like being in Europe again. Think Princess Sarah the movie. I somewhat even hoped that Ms Minchin would eventually appear.
9. They even have their our vintage-style train that goes around the campus.
O.M.G. This is seriously cool. Hop on this train and enjoy a 10-minute tour around the whole area. This vintage train sure made our Huawei tour extra memorable.
8. They have their own university
Think UP Diliman that’s 5x bigger. Yep, they have their very own technopark and university complete with student housing etc at their HQ in Shenzhen. Qualified IT graduates are then offered careers in Huawei afterwards.
7. They started in a really small fishing village 30 Years Ago
Huawei started 30 years ago in Shenzhen which was only a small thriving fishing village. Who would have thought that this simple village would become the Silicon Valley of China in only after 30 yrs? Huawei started out as a start-up company with a capital of only 3,500 USD. Now, they’ve become a global brand having over 180,000 employees in 170 countries worldwide.
6. Huawei is an employee-owned company
To keep everyone motivated and dedicated, Huawei shares its ownership to its employees. Believe it or not, even the owner himself only has around 1% share. This is how Huawei empowers their employees. No wonder they are so dedicated to making innovations.
5. They are the largest telecom equipment manufacturer in the world
Before, I would think of Huawei as just a mobile phone brand, but during this recent trip to the Huawei HQ in Shenzhen, I learned that there’s absolutely more to Huawei than just smartphones. Believe it or not, their smartphone business isn’t really their biggest. Huawei supplies and manufactures the majority of the world’s telecom equipment for various network providers around the world.
 
4. They have invested around 60.4 BILLION in R&D alone on the last 10 years
Because of their commitment to making meaningful innovations and to always be ahead of their game, Huawei invests a lot in R&D. In fact, they even have 14 dedicated R&D centers located around the globe.
3. They focus on making brilliant smartphones
If you noticed, you’ll never see Huawei appliances like TVs, washing machines, electric fans, rice cookers etc. Despite having the technology and resources to also manufacture these, Huawei chooses to just focus on smartphones and be great in it, than make mediocre products. They are committed to brilliant tech, not just a quick buck.
2. They Rotate CEOs every 6 months.
In order to stay creative and always flowing with fresh ideas, Huawei even rotates their CEOs every 6 months. Huawei believes in collaborative efforts, collective wisdom and teamwork.
1. Ren Zhengfei was 42 when he founded Huawei
– if you think you are way too old to be successful, I suggest you consider Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei as your new role model. Zhengfei used to serve in the military (People’s Liberation Army) before becoming the founder of one of the world’s biggest tech brands. Now at his 70s, Zhengfei is even considered as one of the richest in China. So who knows right? Just don’t give up.
