Doug Young

Corporate China | Weibo - Praise for Cook's coming out; Xiaomi glows in rankings

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Apple CEO Tim Cook draws praise from a wide range of tech executives following his disclosure that he is gay.

Doug Young

Published: 4:30pm, 3 Nov 2014Updated: 9:56am, 4 Nov 2014

Global gadget leader Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and its chief Chinese imitator Xiaomi have been filling the online airwaves these last few days, though for very different reasons. Apple's CEO Tim Cook was drawing praise and admiration from a wide range of tech executives on their microblogs, following his widely publicized editorial in which he disclosed that he is gay.

Meantime, a number of top officials from the talkative Xiaomi were also talking up a storm, which verged on gloating, as their company once again poached another high-profile Silicon Valley talent. They also had plenty to say as their high-flying company claimed the undisputed spot as the world's third largest smartphone maker, behind only sector leaders Samsung (Seoul: 005930) and Apple.

One common theme in this week's microblogging chatter is the fixation on Apple by Chinese tech execs, and a growing fixation on Xiaomi as the company reportedly seeks a new funding round that reportedly values it at up to $40 billion (HK$310 billion). Of course it's worth pointing out that most of the buzz about Xiaomi still comes from people within the company itself. But astute observers can also detect a certain degree of envy among tech executives at other firms at the amount of buzz Xiaomi is able to generate.

Let's begin the weekly round-up with the serious subject of Apple's Tim Cook, whose name has become a fixture in global technology headlines these last few days after his disclosure about his sexuality in a magazine editorial. Even before the disclosure, Cook's name was already a recent staple in the Chinese media. Last month he visited China for the second time this year, and just last week he confirmed that Apple might consider a tie-up with Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) in the electronic payment space.

Chinese tech executives were mostly full of admiration for Cook following his disclosure that he's gay, with nearly all of the posts quite serious and solemn in tone. But at least one executive from e-commerce giant JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) was able to take the situation a bit more lightly, using the occasion to take a playful poke at Xiaomi without appearing disrespectful of the situation.

The list of executives expressing their admiration was led by high-tech elder statesman Li Dongsheng, chairman of leading TV maker TCL (1070.HK; Shenzhen: 000100), who expressed his respect for Cook's bravery and candidness. Fu Sheng , CEO of security software maker Cheetah Mobile (NYSE: CMCM), also voiced his support for Cook and the right of individuals to make such decisions about their personal lives.