Hugo Barra, probably the most famous Xiaomi executive to stateside audiences, has left the Chinese smartphone maker — apparently prompted by an incredibly disappointing quarter for Xiaomi.
Having once used its strategy of producing low-end iPhone clones to become the world’s most valuable startup, Xiaomi has had something of a fall from grace lately. Having dropped out of the top five smartphone makers in China last year, Barra’s departure is the latest piece of bad news for the company.
In a Facebook post, Barra — who is Xiaomi’s vice president in charge of global operations and the main force behind its global expansion — pinned the reason for his departure on burnout.
“The last few years of living in such a singular environment have taken a huge toll on my life and started affecting my health,” he wrote in a post. “Seeing how much I’ve left behind these past few years, it is clear to me that the time has come to return.”
Barra joined Xiaomi in 2013 after several years working at Google, predominantly in ventures related to its Android mobile operating system.
Xiaomi has already announced that senior vice president Xiang Wang will take over the international expansion role that Barra was spearheading.
In the meantime, Xiaomi continues to face challenges, both in terms of declining market share in China and other unforeseen roadblocks, like a halt in production in Brazil due to economic instability in the country.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has assured employees that the “worst is over” for Xiaomi’s recent change in fortune. We guess that we’ll wait and see whether that turns out to be the case…
Source: Reuters
