Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Hello, my name is Brim Petrus. I'm the Operations Head of President of the United States Donald Trump, but in his privately owned company - The Trump Organisation. Contrary to popular opinion, we don't yell 'Grab 'em by the *****'
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: Hello, I am Sim Book; the CEO of Apple and serve on its Board of Directors. Prior to Apple, I worked at Compaq and Intelligent Electronics.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Well everyone, Christloafer Joseph here. I'm the chief executive at Hilton Worldwide - a chain of hotels and resorts. I'm sure you've heard of us, or stayed with us some time.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Good day friends, I'm Con Wattson - but no connection to Sherlock Holmes. I am the CEO of Chevron. We are the second largest petroleum company in the world. I'm happy to be here.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: Interesting! It is not common here to have 4 experts from different industries to be a part of a single conversation. Looks like something big is going to happen today.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Oh yes Sim. First, have a look at these images. They may help y'all understand what is there in store for today.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Ohh, both of these are architectural masterpieces. And landmarks in the respective countries.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Not likely Chris, this is bigger than that. Both of these have been constructed by the same company - our competitor, your competitor. In fact, a competitor to all of us.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: Absolutely right, Brim. There is only one common thread tying all of us here. And that name is a pain in the neck - Samsung.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Of course! They are into real estate, petroleum, technology, and hospitality. Perhaps most businesses that we can possibly name.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Agreed, Con. But they started off pretty small. In 1938, while the world was busy preparing for World War II, Lee Byung set up his grocery trading firm in Korea. Then they did grow rapidly to noodles, sugar, wool. And by 1950s they were already into technical businesses like insurance and securities.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Amazing! Very few companies are able to get such growth. SIm would agree, that even Apple didn't grow so fast.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: That's true Brim, but Samsung moved into electronics much before Apple was even founded. In 1960's they produced small TVs. And in 1983, they had even launched their first computer.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Umm Con, Putting things into perspective, Apple launched its first computer Apple One in 1976.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: But again, Samsung was in East Asia, away from the innovation center of Silicon Valley. And yet, the computer they produced was ahead of the Windows PC. Let us give them credit when it's due.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: True. Moreover, they had come up with a product - the Samsung NoteMaster. It was a laptop, where the chips and processors can be changed by the user.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: You're right Chris. It was a good feature for any electronic device. That way, it was possible for users to not spend unnecessarily on new computers. They could simply keep on upgrading their processors. And, they went from strength to strength and became market leaders through persistence. And that's how they've reached where they are today.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Also Brim, we all use Samsung products today. TVs, Computers, Fridges, and even watches!
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Con, not to forget the chips of our mobile phones (which Apple uses, too) and the phones themselves.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: Yes, in the early 1990s, they had become the largest manufacturer of microchips in the world. The first iPhone was powered by Samsung chips. But there is fierce competition, especially after 2011, when they became the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Adding to Sim, since 2006 they are also the largest TV producer and LCD manufacturer in the world. Today 98% of percent of the amoled screen market is dominated by Samsung.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Wow! Kudos to their Research and Development team for coming up with cutting-edge technology. They are making quite an investment in R&D. In 2014 alone, $14 billion was spent there.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Yeah Chris, you are right. They know how to make good investments. They bought a clothing line on the verge of bankruptcy at $2 million. It has generated $6 billion in sales since then. 3000% return on investment!
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: But, don't forget: they have a large staff to manage all their businesses. Samsung employs 490,000 people. That’s more than Apple, Google and Microsoft combined!
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: But we all can't forget, Apple is still more efficient than Samsung. Although Samsung generates $300 billion in revenues, its profit is only $21 billion. Apple earns $50 billion in profits even with lower revenues.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Agreed, Sim. But let's not miss - Samsung makes up 17% of Korea's GDP. So it is quite a formidable force. It has 80 different companies under it which operate independently, but in common interest.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: But, many of their businesses aren't even connected. What strategy is that? As an outsider, I'm confused - what do they believe in? They also have an amusement park - what are they? Disney?
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: Sorry to differ from you, Sim, but they're only about size. That's their strategy and belief. Take their ship-building plant for example. It is spread over an area of 400 million square feet - again, the largest in the world. They make giant ships, which are almost like luxurious, floating cities.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Also Sim, their robots and tanks are even replacing human soldiers in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. It makes me wonder - what exactly do they do.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Here are few of the companies under the brand: Samsung engineering and construction
Samsung trading and investment Samsung heavy industries for electronics
Samsung electro-mechanics Techwin, a military arm
Samsung mobile display Samsung digital imaging
Samsung life insurance Securities Investment trust management
Venture investment
Samsung petrochemicals Samsung BP chemicals
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: True, Con. Though there's actually plenty of others as well like a marketing company called 'Cheryl industries'. Samsung also has a hotel and resort business and a medical center. They give $100 million to their medical center foundation every year.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Chris, don't forget - through a joint venture, the company also has been making cars for more than 20 years.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Samsung does more than just TV's, fridges and phones - they pretty much do everything. Do you see their logo? The openings in S and G is intended to illustrate the company's open-mindedness and desire to communicate.
Con Wattson (CEO, Chevron) :
Chevron: Right, Brim. It's amazing to think that all of this just started from one man with his small trading company of groceries.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: But Con, Samsung doesn't live by the ethics that its founder may have had.
Brim Petrus (COO, The Trump Organization) :
Trump: Well, just like my boss's presidency, this is a sensitive topic. Apple vs Samsung debates are never-ending. Perhaps we can have those things some other time.
Sim Book (CEO, Apple) :
Apple: Okay, Brim. But I'm waiting for that day. I. AM. WAITING.
Christloafer Joseph (CEO, Hilton Worldwide) :
Hilton: It was good interacting with y'all. At least we now know so much more about our competitor.
If you skip this now, you're probably skipping for life!