Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-10-21 05:30Core Viewpoint - The recent public confrontation between Gree's executive Zhu Lei and Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun has highlighted the competitive tensions in the air conditioning market, with accusations of organized smear campaigns and subsequent revelations leading to unexpected embarrassment for Gree [2][9][20]. Group 1: Incident Overview - Gree's executive Zhu Lei criticized Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun on social media, alleging that a coordinated effort was underway to undermine Gree's reputation through misleading videos [4][9]. - Zhu Lei's comments were based on the observation of numerous short videos that appeared to disparage Gree's pricing compared to Xiaomi's [4][9]. - The situation escalated as Zhu Lei used a metaphor from Jin Yong's novels to imply that Lei Jun was acting deceitfully, drawing public attention to the rivalry [14]. Group 2: Revelation of Misunderstanding - Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the videos Zhu Lei criticized were not intended to harm Gree but rather praised its quality and justifications for higher pricing [16][18]. - Many of the content creators behind the videos were identified as Gree's loyal distributors or fans, leading to a significant backlash against Zhu Lei for misinterpreting the situation [16][20]. - The incident resulted in a public relations disaster for Gree, with many commenters pointing out the irony of attacking what turned out to be supportive content [18][20]. Group 3: Insights on Corporate Behavior - The incident illustrates that even high-ranking executives can make hasty decisions without fully understanding the context, as Zhu Lei only viewed the beginning of the videos before launching his attack [22]. - It highlights potential deficiencies in internal communication within large corporations, as Zhu Lei was unaware of the marketing strategies employed by Gree's own representatives [23]. - The event serves as a reminder that prominent figures are also ordinary individuals, subject to errors and misjudgments, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and skepticism towards authority [24].