Xiaomi’s EV Push Strains Workforce Amid Retail Overhaul
Xiaomi's ambitious pivot into electric vehicles has come at a human cost. Wang Peizhi, a 34-year-old retail transformation specialist, collapsed from exhaustion months after overseeing the conversion of smartphone stores into auto showrooms. The company's automotive ambitions have created unsustainable workloads since its pandemic-era layoffs halved the team responsible for these conversions.
The SU7 sedan launch required breakneck renovations of 267 stores in eight months, with Wang simultaneously managing flagship projects like the Tiananmen Square location while overseeing smaller sites. Internal documents reveal a pattern of extreme overtime as Xiaomi races to establish itself as the first major tech firm to successfully manufacture EVs - co-founder Lei Jun's self-described "last entrepreneurial project."
