Huawei's elusive founder tries to dispel spying concerns, and air of mystery
U.S. security concerns may still haunt the reputation of Huawei Technologies, but the Chinese company’s elusive founder brushed off any involvement in state-sponsored cyber espionage in a rare interview on Thursday.
“We are a Chinese company, but we will never hurt another country,” said Ren Zhengfei, in an webcast interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Appearing relaxed and smiling at times, Huawei’s founder tried to dispel misconceptions surrounding the Chinese company, which over the years has found itself embroiled in cyber security concerns coming from the U.S. government. In October 2012 a U.S. congressional committee declared Huawei a security threat because of its alleged ties to the Chinese government. Not helping the matter was Ren, who rarely gives interviews and has earned a reputation as a mysterious individual.