Xiaomi: How a Startup Disrupted the Market & Created a Cult Following

How did a little-known startup become a global phenomenon? This book follows the journey of Xiaomi from its origins in Beijing to its arrival on the shores of India.

Jayadevan PK has been tracking technology and startups in India for more than a decade. This book on Xiaomi promises to be insightful and an engaging read! There are very few companies that have challenged the status quo, scaled so rapidly and become globally successful

Amod Malviya

Co- founder, Udaan

This book is an essential read for everyone who wants to know how modern companies are built on extreme customer centricity. This highly engaging read tells the origin story of Xiaomi and also unpacks the elements of strategy that made it successful as it scaled up.

Girish Mathrubootham

Co-founder & CEO, Freshworks Inc.

I’ve been observing Xiaomi’s role in globalizing Chinese products since the company’s early days. Lei Jun was one of a new generation of entrepreneurs who saw what was possible with the direct-to-consumer model and started to push China forward as an innovator that could show the US a thing or two. This book shines a light on one of the world’s most important consumer tech consumers with hard-to-come-by insight and perspective.

Hamish McKenzie

Co-founder of Substack

Jayadevan PK takes us on a fascinating journey that covers the rise of Xiaomi — from Beijing to Bengaluru and rest of the world. Xiaomi’s phenomenal rise is worth studying, especially for challenger brands and startups that have a good fight in them. This book on Xiaomi is a must-read for anyone aspiring to build a startup. It unpacks elements of strategy that make modern companies different and successful even when facing fierce incumbents.

Kunal Shah

Founder, CRED

The Whirlwind and Flying Pigs

As a startup, you don’t always have to be against the wave. Winners often ride the wave. What worked for Xiaomi?

The Legend of Xiantao

What makes Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun the elite entrepreneur that he is? How did failures shape Jun’s success?

Go Big, Go Global

This chapter captures the beginnings of Xiaomi’s global ambitions, how tech executive Hugo Barra shaped it and how it played out/

The Man From Meerut

Xiaomi’s global success has much to do with its performance in India and Manu Jain, the company’s India CEO.

Fans with Benefits

Inside the fan machine and Xiaomi’s secret of success. How is the company geared around customer centricity?

Next Is What?

Success is a moving scale. What are the challenges and opportunities ahead of Xiaomi?

Jayadevan P.K. is a Bengaluru-based business writer who loves working with start-ups and new economy companies that are ready to scale and tell a compelling story about their brand. He is the host of two podcasts focused on start-ups and a technology columnist. His views and reports on start-ups and technology have appeared in several publications, including The Economic Times, the BBC, The Hindu, Moneycontrol, and Deutsche Welle.

In his previous avatar as a journalist, and later an entrepreneur, he has helped set up early teams spanning product, design, technology, and editorial; raised capital; worked closely with writers and editors; set up metrics and processes to track growth and performance; strategized; and brought innovation to newsrooms. In 2015, he co-founded FactorDaily, an award-winning newsroom backed by top investors such as Accel Partners and Blume Ventures. He spends his free time reading, running, and raising his child.