Patriotism is the Last Refuge

Nationalism, or chauvinism, is a destructive force without peer. This is true in other areas of life, and it is true in the technology sector.

Exhibit numero uno: Aigo (Chinese name AiGuoZhe, means patriot). This Chinese company had always marketed itself as one of China’s own, so somehow it deserves the trust and confidence of the Chinese consumers. The gimmick worked like a charm for a while, until it didn’t. While the company still offers products of shabby quality at low price, its products no longer sell and the company is reportedly losing money hand over fist, according to an ousted executive who blasted the company’s founder Feng Jun on Weibo, China’s own twitter.

We can also disregard the fact that Feng is feuding with his business partners; if that was a fault, Steve Jobs would surely be unable to great the most valuable technology company on earth. But Feng’s attachment to patriotism is another case.

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