London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Huawei faces a 'life or death crisis,' CEO says as he lays out 'battle' strategy amid US pressure

Huawei faces a 'life or death crisis,' CEO says as he lays out 'battle' strategy amid US pressure

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei laid out plans to bring more efficiencies to the organization. This included simplifying the reporting structure, cutting down on surplus staff, axing repetitive jobs and moving managers to other positions where required.

Huawei is facing a “life or death crisis” amid continued pressure from the U.S. government, its founder and CEO told employees, as he laid out a strategy for the Chinese telecommunications giant going forward.

In a memo to employees of Huawei’s networking division seen by CNBC, Ren Zhengfei described the company’s current situation as a “battle.” Ren is well-known for using military language in his communications with employees.

In May, the company was put on a U.S. blacklist — or the so-called Entity List — which restricts American businesses from selling to the Chinese firm. Huawei relies on a lot of American technology from software to hardware.

But on Monday, the U.S. administration extended a reprieve for the telecommunications company for 90 days. U.S. businesses can sell specific products to Huawei during the 90-day period.

“Now that the company is at a life or death crisis, our first priority is to encourage all crew to make contributions, and the second is to choose and promote talents, to add ‘new blood’ to our system,” Ren said, according to a CNBC translation of the memo. He said there will be “new blood” in the company in three to five years.

The Huawei boss laid out plans to bring more efficiencies to the organization. This included simplifying the reporting structure, cutting down on surplus staff, axing repetitive jobs and moving managers to other positions as required.

He also urged staff to make sure people pay attention to the quality of the contracts they are signing with customers to ensure Huawei is paid on time and does not suffer any cash flow issues.

Ren added that Huawei would also accelerate the purchase of important equipment in order to meet customers’ demand.


‘Security threat’ to the US

The Chinese telecommunications firm has been increasingly caught up in the trade war between the U.S. and China.

As a result, Huawei has been trying to wean itself off reliance on American technology. The company designs its own processors for its smartphones and recently released an operating system for various devices called Harmony OS. Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s consumer division said that it would prefer to continue to using Google’s Android operating system, but if it was not able to, it could switch to HarmonyOS “immediately.”

President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals over the last few months about the fate of Huawei in the U.S.

In May, he said that it was “possible that Huawei would be included in a trade deal.” But this weekend, Trump said he didn’t want to do business with Huawei “because it is a national security threat.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, said the message from the administration is clear.

“President Trump has been unambiguous. I don’t think there’s a mixed message at all,” Pompeo told CNBC. “The threat of having Chinese telecom systems inside of American networks or inside of networks around the world presents an enormous risk — a national security risk. Our mission set is to find a way to reduce that risk, to take that risk down as much as we possibly can.”

The U.S. has said that Huawei products carry a risk of allowing Chinese authorities to spy on Americans via backdoors, something the Chinese tech company has repeatedly denied.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×