It all starts with Xiaomi's attempt to move upmarket.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, there are approximately over 250,000 traffic accidents in China each year, with over 150,000 involving automobiles. Over the past decade, the average annual number of accidental deaths due to traffic accidents has exceeded 60,000, and most of these incidents do not make it to the news headlines.
There are exceptions. Traffic accidents in the new energy vehicle sector tend to attract more public attention, whether they involve Tesla, AITO, or Xiaomi. Partly, this is related to the higher popularity of these brands. Additionally, new energy vehicles often incorporate more new technologies, which are usually in the early stages of development and thus more controversial.
This year, two traffic accidents involving Xiaomi cars fall into this category. Both incidents have drawn extensive public attention. Apart from Xiaomi's inherent popularity, what's more important is that both accidents are related to the two most controversial aspects of current new energy vehicles: intelligent assisted driving and hidden door handles.
However, similar accidents have occurred to almost every new - force car - making brand. Regarding intelligent assisted driving, there was the accident of NIO ES8 on the Shenhai Expressway in Hanjiang Section in 2021, and more recently, the rear - end collision of AITO M7 on the Houping Expressway last year. Both accidents resulted in the deaths of passengers in the cars.
There are even more cases where car doors cannot be opened after an accident, regardless of whether the car uses hidden door handles, and whether it is a fuel - powered vehicle or a new energy vehicle. Even some classic models from the fuel - powered vehicle era have experienced similar accidents repeatedly. For example, in 2022, a Toyota Corolla in Foshan, Guangdong, caught fire and its doors could not be opened after a traffic accident.
However, these accidents did not cause as much public controversy as those involving Xiaomi. Both of Xiaomi's accidents led to a decline in its Hong Kong - listed stock price and triggered a flurry of inquiries and reports from the media.
The stock price trend of Xiaomi in the past year
Whenever discussions about Xiaomi arise, they often devolve into a black - and - white argument, with almost no middle ground. In the comments, some support the company and denounce so - called "black public relations," while others mock extreme Xiaomi fans and engage in personal attacks. It's as if one is in the comment section of a popular celebrity in the fan - circle culture, and even having a discussion has become a risky thing.
Online Trolls and Black Public Relations
A few days ago, Lei Jun attended the 2025 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference. This is a high - profile industry conference jointly hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Transport, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. Almost all well - known figures in the Chinese automotive industry attended.
Lei Jun was the last car company leader to deliver a keynote speech that day. At the end of his speech, he specifically called on the entire industry to avoid "zero - sum games" and jointly promote the healthy development of the industry. "Let's jointly resist online chaos such as online trolls and black public relations and create a positive, civilized, and orderly industrial development environment."
Normally, such remarks would not attract much attention. Car company leaders have been speaking out against the chaos of black public relations for a long time. However, this speech was delivered when the Chengdu accident involving Xiaomi cars was causing a huge stir, and it was Lei Jun's first public speech after the accident. Therefore, almost all reports about Lei Jun's speech that day emphasized, "Lei Jun's latest speech after the Chengdu car accident, calling on everyone to jointly resist online trolls and black public relations."
The day after Lei Jun's speech, Wang Hua, the head of Xiaomi's public relations department, shared the progress of the information collection form for special assistance for Xiaomi car owners who have suffered online attacks. This is a legal aid initiative launched by Xiaomi on September 26 for car owners, aiming to help them resist online attacks. Wang Hua said that they had collected relevant evidence information of 480 people, and 245 of them needed litigation support.
It's hard to say that this represents Xiaomi's official attitude towards the recent controversies. However, at this current juncture, considering that Xiaomi Group as a whole has remained silent about the door - related controversy of the Chengdu accident, these actions are worth pondering.
Even Hu Xijin, a senior commentator, a so - called "neutral observer," and self - proclaimed Xiaomi fan, couldn't stand it anymore. He posted a long comment saying that Xiaomi's public relations actions were off - track and emphasized that Xiaomi should not label public criticism as "black public relations."
Hu Xijin's Weibo post
"At this sensitive moment when a new accident involving Xiaomi SU7 occurred, Lei Jun's use of such strong words in a public speech has led the public to associate Xiaomi with pushing back against online criticism and doubts," Hu Xijin said.
The biggest point of doubt in the public opinion about the Chengdu accident is the door issue. Perhaps learning from the lesson of the accident on the Anhui Tongling Expressway in March, this time, apart from the police report, no clear information has been released, and Xiaomi's management has never mentioned the incident in public or on social media. The "Xiaomi Cars Answers Netizens' Questions" section, which usually responds to netizens' questions about Xiaomi cars, has not been updated for 20 days since October 1.
Lei Jun's Weibo posts still include fitness check - ins and product information. The Chengdu accident has become the "elephant in the room" in Xiaomi's current external public relations. However, netizens can see clearly and are anxious. In the comment section of Lei Jun's Weibo, many supporters keep posting messages of support, saying, "Mr. Lei, you must hold on. There are too many haters out there, but we will always support you."
Lei Jun's comment section was not always like this. As a mobile phone manufacturer that started with technology enthusiasts, although Xiaomi attracted a large number of Xiaomi fans in its early days, these fans were also one of the most demanding groups for Xiaomi. There was a popular joke on the Internet: "All Xiaomi haters were once Xiaomi fans."
Back then, in Lei Jun's Weibo comments, there were more complaints from Xiaomi fans about the products. Lei Jun once said in an interview that when users encountered problems, their first thought was not to call the customer service, but to "scold you on Weibo first."
Later, Xiaomi even assigned after - sales staff to monitor Lei Jun's comment section closely. When they saw users' complaints, they would quickly contact the users to handle the issues. Now, such voices have decreased significantly, and any such comments may even attract criticism from other netizens, who accuse each other of being haters and call for checking each other's "background."
The most prominent example was the apology post Lei Jun made in April. Some busybodies specifically compared the comments on the Weibo posts of the victims' families and Lei Jun's apology post. One side was filled with a barrage of accusations, while the other was full of one - sided support and trust. After that, the victims' families deleted their Weibo posts and cancelled their social media accounts.
When did the trend start to change? How did the black - and - white, fragmented discussion atmosphere in the public opinion about Xiaomi come into being?
Lei Jun's Annual Speech with 11.6 Billion Views
It all starts with Xiaomi's attempt to move upmarket.
In 2020, Xiaomi Group began its high - end transformation. The Xiaomi 10 series of mobile phones launched at the beginning of that year first entered the 4,000 - yuan price range, which was 1,000 yuan higher than the starting price of the previous year's flagship Xiaomi 9 series. The starting price of the Xiaomi 10 Ultra launched in the middle of the year even exceeded 5,000 yuan.
Most Chinese mobile phone manufacturers have gone through the process of exploring the high - end market from the mid - to - low - end. However, compared with other domestic manufacturers, Xiaomi faces greater challenges in its push towards the high - end market.
The company built its reputation on extreme cost - effectiveness, and over the years, it has developed a fixed brand image. Xiaomi has been trying to break this perception. Its earliest attempt at high - end products can be traced back to the Xiaomi Note 2 launched in 2016, but it didn't perform well after its release, and the Note product line was subsequently discontinued.
In 2020, for the Xiaomi 10 series, in addition to upgrading the product specifications, Xiaomi also began to reshape its brand story. In the middle of that year, taking advantage of the company's tenth - anniversary milestone, Lei Jun held the first "Lei Jun's Annual Speech," integrating product launches with his entrepreneurial story.
In the words of Wang Hua, the head of Xiaomi's public relations department, "We didn't expect this form to be so well - received. At that time, it was trending in various communities. With everyone's unanimous praise, Mr. Lei considered making this speech an annual event."
In the following years, most of Xiaomi Group's major product line launches were associated with "Lei Jun's Annual Speech." This is a very different form of product launch compared to most technology companies. In the first half, Lei Jun usually tells various stories and details about Xiaomi's entrepreneurial and R & D processes, arousing public emotions, and the product launch part comes in the second half.
Later, what you're familiar with as the "Lei Jun style" was established during these years. The bold and enlarged key phrases in the PPT, various grand and far - reaching value propositions, and Lei Jun's personal insights throughout the speech make users feel that buying Xiaomi products is like supporting a great idea. From then on, Xiaomi has increasingly emphasized storytelling and creating an emotional atmosphere in its product promotion.
Each year, Lei Jun's Annual Speech has a theme that is both in line with the times and relevant to the company's strategy. From the "Unwavering Forward" theme for the tenth - anniversary speech to "Insights on Overcoming Life's Setbacks" during the repeated COVID - 19 outbreaks in 2022, in the past couple of years, the themes have become more general, such as "Growth," "Courage," or "Change." Over the years, the topic of "Lei Jun's Annual Speech" has received over an 11.6 billion views on Weibo.
Posters of Lei Jun's previous annual speeches
This form of product launch, which closely combines new product R & D with emotional stories, can, to some extent, expand the brand's influence and attract more audiences. However, it also tightly links the brand with the personal image of the founder, making brand communication more personalized and star - like.
Take a poster for this year's Lei Jun's Annual Speech as an example. The theme of this year's speech was "Change," and one of the promotional slogans on a poster released by Xiaomi was: "While building cars, restarting chip - making. Where does the courage come from when supporting two 'children' through college?"
Personifying and narrativizing the company's development strategy has led to a situation where users no longer view Xiaomi in a simple way. If the "Xiaomi fans" in the past could be regarded as a group of users who recognized Xiaomi's products, today's "Xiaomi fans" not only recognize Xiaomi but also have an added sense of admiration and dependence on Lei Jun personally. Lei Jun is not just an entrepreneur but also a technology idol comparable to a popular celebrity.
On stage, Lei Jun talks about dreams, setbacks, and growth. Xiaomi's products are just a medium to carry emotions in this narrative. The users watching the press conference are touched and comforted, as if Xiaomi's growth story is also their own. By buying Xiaomi products, they feel that they are participating in the growth of a great company, just like Lei Jun, and share in its glory.
There have been many iconic figures in the history of the technology industry. Figures like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk abroad, and Zhang Xiaolong in China are all in this category. However, their public images were not built through stories and motivational speeches but rather through product - driven achievements.
If we were to apply Lei Jun's speech style, Steve Jobs might have put out a slogan at an Apple press conference like, "After being ousted from the company, how did I regain control of Apple?"
But Steve Jobs never did that. The public remembers him not because of any particular story about his journey or how he kept the company going despite his illness. In fact, Jobs was not the most likeable person. He was paranoid, irritable, and uncompromising.
People's impressions of him mainly come from the products themselves, such as the iPod that revolutionized the traditional music industry, the iPhone that pioneered the mobile Internet, and the Macbook Air that could be pulled out of a brown paper bag. These products form the entirety of Jobs' narrative.
This doesn't mean that Xiaomi lacks product innovation capabilities. There have been numerous discussions on the Internet about Xiaomi's marketing and products. The existence of these discussions may indicate that people's attention to Xiaomi's marketing has far exceeded that of its products.
When a brand's storytelling ability is so strong that it can overshadow the product itself, it also creates risks.
The Bitter Fruits of Idol - like Worship
Currently, Lei Jun is one of the CEOs in the Chinese Internet industry with the largest number of followers on social platforms. He has over 26 million followers on Weibo, over 44 million on Douyin, and even over 4.7 million on Xiaohongshu.
Data released by Chanmama at the beginning of this year showed that Lei Jun gained over 25 million followers on Douyin in 2024, only 2 million fewer than Huang Zitao. These new followers are not necessarily all users of Xiaomi products, but they do, to some extent, recognize Lei Jun's personal image.
Lei Jun's first annual speech in 2020 was a coincidence. At that time, Xiaomi was at a turning point in its high - end transformation and needed a story to redefine its brand image. The tenth - anniversary occasion was just right for summarizing and looking back.
However, once the brand - storytelling model is established, it's hard to change back. Stories require emotions, and emotions need to be continuously heightened. Xiaomi's communication rhythm has increasingly leaned towards maximizing its popularity. Each annual speech requires painstaking efforts to find a story, a highlight, extract key phrases, and heighten emotions.
In the first year of Lei Jun's annual speech, there were many stories about the founding team. Six years later, it had to borrow