This article studies BYD as a case of #innovation, #vertical_integration, and #industrial_strategy in the global electric vehicle industry. BYD began as a battery producer and later became one of the world’s most important makers of #new_energy_vehicles. Its development is not only a business success story. It is also a useful academic case for students of strategy, technology management, international business, and industrial policy. The central argument of this article is t

This article examines the strategic paradox of leadership through the case of BYD and its founder, Wang Chuanfu. The central question is simple but important for #business_education: must a founder personally use a product in the ordinary consumer sense in order to understand, lead, and transform an industry? The article argues that personal lifestyle identity is not the same as strategic competence. A founder may not represent the typical consumer, may not use the product in