Inspiration from Rokid's Decade of Practice: The Original Aspiration, Patience, and Confidence in Smart Glasses Entrepreneurship

In the wave of AI hardware startups, people have witnessed the rise and fall of countless products. Standing at the juncture of the accelerated integration of AI and hardware, how can entrepreneurs navigate through the technological cycles and market fluctuations? When large companies enter the market and the ecosystem is reconstructed, how can startups find their niche for survival and long - term value?

Facing these questions that the industry is collectively exploring, Zhao Weiqi, the person in charge of Rokid's global open ecosystem, provided a unique answer in his sharing at the "Linear Technology π" event. Just as Rokid's decade - long practice of navigating through cycles has proven, the answer may lie in returning to the essence: anchor the direction with the original intention, deeply immerse in the industry with patience, and navigate through the startup cycle with confidence.

The competition in hardware ultimately boils down to a deep understanding of human nature and the perseverance in long - term engineering principles. The real barrier does not lie in chasing trends, but in whether one can soberly answer in the midst of the noise: For whom are we creating this? What problems are we actually solving?

The original intention is the noise filter for hardware startups

From the PC era to the mobile Internet, then to spatial computing, and now to the AI era, we can see that the entire human - computer interaction has been evolving in one direction, which is the Internet of Everything.

I've been fortunate enough to experience this process firsthand. I have a background in mathematics and initially worked on software. As one of the earliest developers of Alexa, I participated in the development of smart speakers. Later, I ventured into the field of spatial computing and founded a company in Silicon Valley that focuses on AR extreme sports. As an enthusiastic geek about multi - modal AI hardware and software, I was fortunate to join Rokid in its early days, responsible for the full - stack system and software of the first - generation AR glasses. Later, I successively promoted and co - founded core business departments and began to be in charge of the establishment and expansion of the global open ecosystem.

Looking back at the direction of technological migration, it is a process where computing power gets closer to people and machines understand humans better.

Since I started learning mathematics, I've wanted to use computers to unleash more human capabilities, allowing people to have more time and energy to enjoy life. For many entrepreneurs, when you first founded your team or had an idea, you must have had an original intention. Maybe what you're doing today is different, but I believe that little oasis in your heart still exists.

Why is it essential for entrepreneurs to stick to their original intention? Because trends are constantly changing. Without an original intention, it's easy to be led astray by various trends - whether they are investment trends, startup trends, or profit - driven trends. If you have a clear mission in mind, you can ride on the wave of trends and move forward. Having an original intention makes you more stable.

We believe that the end - goal of technology should be to make people's lives easier, not to turn them into more efficient "super - workers".

The biggest bottleneck and dilemma for many technology - based entrepreneurs is that they always want to show off their "muscles" - having trained for years, they feel compelled to showcase their skills. But in fact, the core of technology is to solve problems. If it can't solve problems, it should stay in the lab for further incubation.

Technology is not for show, but for solving problems, especially in the case of hardware. Everyone's original intention may vary, but one thing is common: we increasingly need to follow the first - principles. We must deliver value and provide something that can truly solve problems, bring joy, or offer solutions.

Showiness can attract some people, but the core is always product strength. In this era, the first - generation products may take off quickly due to various opportunities, such as going viral on TikTok or Kickstarter. But it's the second - and third - generation products that truly test the founding team and core capabilities of a hardware company in the market.

The original intention is a filter that helps you filter out the noise and focus on solving truly important things. Just like sailing in the vast ocean, it makes you more determined to keep moving forward, no matter how big the waves are.

Hardware is a compound - interest industry; the more in - depth you go, the more resilient you become

In this fast - paced era, many people lack patience because they want to see immediate results and don't want to wait or invest too much. Hardware is actually a compound - interest industry; the more in - depth you go, the more resilient you become, which requires startup teams to have sufficient patience. The core of patience is to go deep and keep delving.

If you have a technical background, you need to do a few things thoroughly:

First, focus intensively on quality. For hardware, quality is paramount. You don't have many opportunities to make mistakes. The market won't give you multiple chances to refute user feedback, and the production line can't be adjusted repeatedly.

I know that for many entrepreneurs, the dilemma is whether to "seize the opportunity window without waiting for perfection". Our answer is that you should seize the opportunity window, but you also must calm down and learn. The core of perfection is 100 points or 99 points. You can launch at 80 points for validation and then iterate, but don't enter the market with only 30 points. In the past, we've seen many products launched at 60 points. This is not "not waiting for perfection", but setting off without being truly prepared.

From last November to the first half of this year, many people were talking about the "battle of a hundred smart glasses", but now, if you count, how many smart - glass products have truly established themselves in the market? The hardware industry has a distinct characteristic: as long as you survive, you have a chance. The prerequisite is to survive first.

Let me give you a small example. In 2019, I brought the product back to China for transformation. At that time, the company was in a trough, and the pandemic broke out, putting it on the verge of survival. Seeing the situation in overseas regions like Singapore, we made a decision to develop a temperature - measuring smart glass. Since the basic form of our product was very solid, we quickly added the functional module. It can be said that this smart glass bought the company a precious window of opportunity for survival and development.

So, when an opportunity comes, can you seize it only if your product is ready?

Second, the depth of engineering is the starting point of the hardware barrier. There are many products of various forms in the market, but the key to differentiation often lies in the depth of engineering. Engineering is a very complex, structured, and long - term thinking - required discipline that relies on the combination of all aspects such as hardware, components, and algorithms.

In the past decade, Rokid has owned more than 1000 intellectual property rights, including 547 domestic and international patents. I was fortunate to participate in more than 30 of them. These patents are concentrated in human - computer interaction, optics, acoustics, spatial computing, and OS capabilities. Patents are not only for self - protection but also to prevent being overwhelmed by others.

Patience also means focus and convergence. Many technology - based students tend to think they can do everything, especially in the AI era. But the part you're good at may mean nothing until it's verified and feedback is received from the market. Just like no one can prove your ability until you solve a problem or present on the blackboard. So you must enter the market for verification. Only in the real storms can you know the direction of the wind.

So how can you find what to focus on when you're so busy? Choose the two most important judgment dimensions: time and resources. We currently adopt the "211" work model: Two rounds of iteration per month, with one iteration every two weeks, one week for verification, and one week for review; quickly respond to user feedback and quickly figure out what to do next; then continue to iterate. Smart glasses are very precise instruments. If it's software or a small product, the iteration cycle can be shorter.

Hardware is a compound - interest industry; the more in - depth you go, the more resilient you become. Look at DJI and Insta360. Although their establishment times are not long compared to industry giants, they have gone through numerous iterations and have built up a lot of in - depth capabilities, which requires a great deal of patience.

Another very important point is "globalization", but its core is not simply saying "I want to go global", nor is it just doing marketing on TikTok. Instead, it's "embracing the ecosystem". A hardware company can't reach every corner. If you only rely on operators and distributors, it's difficult to build a good ecosystem. You need to embrace all possibilities of establishing connections, and even give a high proportion of profits and dividends to them, so that they can help you improve the entire ecosystem. But the prerequisite is that your product strength is strong enough. If your product strength is weak, it's also difficult to promote this.

Early - stage startups are not the guinea pigs of large companies

Many friends often ask me: Large companies are entering the market. What should we startups do? Every hardware manufacturer should encounter this problem.

First, small - scale profits are not the focus of large companies. The key to determining whether a product has truly entered the competitive stage lies in whether it has achieved large - scale mass production. As long as it remains in the laboratory or verification stage, the market pattern is not yet fixed, and opportunities still exist.

Second, looking at the ecosystem, large companies promote products through their own platforms and can't be compatible with too many third - party APIs. Our product integrates applications from all AI companies such as Doubao, Kimi, Zhipu, and Jieyue, and will also embrace all AI companies like GPT and Google. Each third - party API has its own expertise. Actually, the eternal core of startups is that you are not independent of the entire ecosystem. You can embrace everyone to create and promote your own ecosystem.

Large companies promote their products through their own platforms. So this is also a way of survival in the process of navigating through cycles. For example, when a B - end customer chooses a product, they will choose a product that is less invasive or monopolistic.

Of course, I'm not saying that luck doesn't play a part. Luck is what all entrepreneurs need the most. We're all good students. Why is one getting 80 points and another 90? Maybe it's just because one guessed the exam questions right. You can't determine your fate and ability based on a two - hour exam. But the fact is that when a trend comes, you only have a week or a month to make your brand enter the market. You may take off, or you may fail.

I've been an entrepreneur for almost 20 years, and I've always enjoyed this "life - and - death" experience, perhaps driven by dopamine and endorphins.

Moreover, for small companies, how can they compete with large companies? When I was a child and got poor grades in exams, my mother would ask me, "Is it a subjective or objective problem? Is it your problem or others'?" Many of us would say it's others' problem, like the pencil is not good, the textbook is not clear, or the teacher didn't teach well. In fact, it all boils down to our own problem. Entrepreneurs have no excuses. It's either your problem or your team's problem, or maybe you shouldn't have started a business at all. You're not ready yet.

You need to have judgment. Don't think that when large companies enter the market, it's a disaster. In our view, large companies often help startups gain more attention, but the opportunities are open for everyone to compete for. So keep your hunger. You need to face your own human nature. Whether to be greedy or lie flat, there's no right or wrong answer. Your choice makes the startup environment diverse. I rise while you fall; I rise again while you fall again. This is the foundation for promoting the development of the industry and technology.

The confidence in AI hardware comes from the humanity of carbon - based life

There is a huge structural opportunity in the industry now, which is that AI needs a hardware carrier. When AI only exists in PCs or mobile phones, its imagination has not been truly unleashed - people usually use no more than 50 apps, but there are millions in the app store.

We need a new carrier, a private hardware matrix that is independent and not disturbed by work or other information. This is the future of AI hardware, and it's also the background for the rise of fields such as health - care AI, companion - type AI toys, and future home robots.

Of course, besides serving the mass market, there are also huge opportunities among the neglected niche groups. We have a non - profit project called "Wisdom Eyes", which developed a smart glass for visually impaired people that can identify people, objects, and scenes in front of them in real - time.

For us, the photo - recognition ability of AR glasses may only account for 15% - 20% of the product's premium. But for the visually impaired group, it directly determines whether they can obtain environmental information, whether they can "see". It represents a quantitative and qualitative change, a leap from 0 to 1. Where there is real value, there will be real opportunities.

So everyone should embrace multi - modality and wearables, and also pay attention to specific niche groups. For example, a traditional white cane only tells the user that there is an object in front but can't tell what it is. What we do not only provides convenience for the blind but also gives them more possibilities to create value. For example, they can share their content on the platform and earn some income.

When hardware reaches a certain level, it doesn't rely solely on itself. Now all leading hardware companies are opening up their ecosystems externally, allowing others to grow, make money, and achieve commercialization on their platforms, which is also what we're doing.

Finally, I'd like to share two words: One is Stay Human. I hope everyone can maintain the humanity of our carbon - based life, which is a very important driving force;

The other is our company's slogan - Leave Nobody Behind, which is our original intention. We've done many things, and the core is to make technology accessible to everyone and let everyone enjoy technology.

There are two key points here: One is "everyone", which not only refers to the current mainstream users but also includes all the neglected groups mentioned earlier. The other is "enjoy". This is actually very difficult. For a technology product to make people feel they're enjoying it, it means its usability, friendliness, and price must be reasonable, and it must continuously bring value.

We believe that the development of the industry is never driven by a single company. It must rely on the joint efforts of many participants. I hope all entrepreneurs can look back at their original intentions, maintain patience, and have more confidence in themselves and the industry.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Linear Capital", author: Linear Capital. Republished by 36Kr with permission.