News Update

Xiaomi executive Manu Jain, who established and expanded their India operation, quits

• ByStartupStory     |    January 31, 2023

Manu Jain, an executive who assisted Xiaomi in establishing and growing its operations in India, has left the company, he said on Monday, adding his name to a long list of well-known departures from the regional unit, which is steadily losing market share to rivals like Samsung. 

Jain did not give a reason for quitting the company, but according to persons with knowledge of the situation, he has been presenting investors ideas for an EV startup for some time. According to many of the people he has spoken with, Jain had been disclosing his plans to depart the company to numerous industry executives for several quarters. 

2014 saw Xiaomi’s entry into the Indian smartphone market. The company started to make a dent in the market within a few quarters, undercutting competitors Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, and Vivo with higher-spec phones at lower prices. 

A few years later, Xiaomi rose to prominence as India’s #1 smartphone seller, a position it no longer retains. 

People with knowledge of the situation stated that Jain, who was once a prominent member of the Indian team, suffered greatly as relations between China and India deteriorated in the wake of rising geopolitical tension in 2020. One insider claims that the company changed its mind about elevating Jain to a greater worldwide role.

Jain was additionally called before India’s Enforcement Directorate, where, in accordance with Xiaomi, he was threatened with “physical assault” over a tax dispute matter. 

Several significant Xiaomi executives, including Raghu Reddy, head of business in India, have recently left the company amid the unrest at its India division. 

A request for comment made to Xiaomi in December went unanswered. Throughout last year, Jain ignored numerous requests for comment.

I joined the Xiaomi Group in 2014 to start its India journey. The first few years were full of ups and downs. We started as a one-person startup, working from a small little office. We were the smallest amongst the hundreds of smartphone brands, that too with limited resources and no prior relevant industry experience,” Jain said in a statement.

Jain did not address Xiaomi’s declining market share in India or the other declining India leadership team in his lengthy comments on Monday.

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