The China Mirage Continues

‘It’s All Over Now But the Screaming’: Inside the Unraveling of LeEco in America

In an October blog post describing the company’s ambitions in America, Jia, who goes by YT, said he’d been eyeing the United States market for years. LeEco would hardly be the first tech brand to try to elbow its way into the US market, in which established players like Apple and Samsung reign supreme, but perhaps it could be the first to succeed. Americans have proven an elusive target for many Chinese tech upstarts, like Xiaomi and Huawei, who can’t get their smartphones to catch on in a meaningful way. Even TCL and HiSense, which have gotten traction selling cheap TVs, still haven’t managed to establish brand recognition.

LeEco was never going to go anywhere with a brand name that people would immediately say as “Leek-o.” Even their original LeTV name was idiotic — “Let-vee.”

Huawei is under pressure and I have no real idea about ZTE. And both make worthwhile products.

You don’t see glowing articles about Xiaomi anymore, do you?

Most of the big brand names from Japan have fallen.

Korean brand names might be next, but I expect Samsung to fight like hell.

But that doesn’t mean Chinese brands will rise.

Previously here:

The China Mirage: VR
The China Mirage, Part Two
The China Mirage