Samsung makes a lot of different electronics, from TV’s and other Home Theater equipment to Home Appliances such as washing machines and microwave ovens. More recently, they took an approach at the mobile industry with smartphones, tablets and wearables with fair success, particularly in the Android world. Overall, it’s a very successful business and there is no denying that it had to do with the mind behind the chairman of the company, Lee Kun-hee, even with a few scandals on the road. At 73, his health is not that good and his son, Lee Jae-yong is already taking over some aspects of the company being the vice chairman. He wouldn’t probably want to make huge changes that could end up affecting in a negative way to the company, but a report from Reuters inform what these changes may be.
Of course, details are scarce, as he wouldn’t want to seem disrespectful to his father who is still alive, but a company executive has shared a few ideas. In the smartphone area, since it is pretty much saturated and innovation seems to be less possible than a few years ago, he pretends to extend the life cycle of these products not only by featuring some of their own components and technologies, but also focusing on how will the devices be connected to wearables and some other devices that integrate the “Internet Of Things”. That can be seen as Samsung used its own Exynos processors in their new flagships, making them more independent to other companies. Technologies like support for two protocols of wireless charging and a paying system that doesn’t necessarily relies on NFC and is compatible with most card readers right now do seem to make these smartphones to last a little longer than most.
From inside the company, the vice chairman is perceived as more down-to-earth and someone who puts attention into details rather than changing some strategy radically. Some practices like getting picked up at the airport by senior executives when returning home will come to an end. Making employees not to look at their phones during a client meeting shall be perceived as making clients more important. Also, he doesn’t want to be seen as such a controlling, person, so his way of thinking is that his stake level is around 49 percent, instead of 50 or more, to win managers, clients and shareholders who would share that percentage.