A decade after Lee Jae-yong took the helm at Samsung, the tech giant’s third-generation corporate heir is undergoing the most severe test yet of his business mettle.
The South Korean billionaire heads a conglomerate grappling with problems in its vast semiconductor business, where it has fallen behind in the AI chip race and is poised to launch a management shake-up.
Meanwhile it is dealing with discontent from employees — with Samsung Electronics’ labour union in July going on its first ever strike in a dispute over pay and conditions — and investors, with its shares down more than 30 per cent this year even after a $7.1bn buyback announced last week.