Tough week for Huawei. Huawei is reportedly under federal investigation in the U.S. for stealing trade secrets; Germany is contemplating banning the company from 5G projects; U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill to block the sale of core components to the company; and Oxford University suspended new research grants and donations from Huawei, warning students not to discuss "confidential or propriety information" with the company. Fun fact: Huawei's new Dongguang campus has 12 zones, each modelled after a different European city. The ‘Oxford' zone is still under development. Wall Street Journal
Report: Huawei CEO warns of job losses in email to employees On Friday, Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei fired off a companywide email warning that a slowdown in the sale of its 5G gear could lead to job cuts. The email cautioned that a slowdown in the company's fortunes could be in the offing due to security concerns by the United States and other countries. (FierceTelecom)
US charges Chinese tech giant Huawei, top executive The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Monday against Chinese tech giant Huawei, two of its subsidiaries and a top executive, who are accused of misleading banks about the company's business and violating U.S. sanctions. The company is also charged in a separate case with stealing trade secrets from T-Mobile, according to federal prosecutors. (ABC News)
Huawei update. The Department of Justice indicted Huawei and its CFO Meng Wanzhou collectively on over two dozen charges this week, ranging from corporate espionage to bank fraud. Huawei said it is "disappointed" by the charges, most of which relate to a civil suit that was settled in 2017. The indictments against Meng Wanzhou will add weight to the Department of Justice's request for her extradition from Canada, submitted Monday. Fortune
Huawei Relations The Financial Times has an interesting piece on how Huawei's woes are playing out in the world of telecommunications network operators. The fear is that a wide rejection of Huawei's equipment would delay the rollout of 5G by years, and make it more expensive. Keep an eye on the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of this month to see how the GSMA trade body decides to react. Financial Times
Huawei Security Huawei has told U.K. lawmakers that it will take three to five years for it to address concerns over the security of its telecommunications equipment. British authorities are worried about the risks, but have apparently not found any evidence of espionage conducted through the equipment. BBC
Glass houses. The FBI raided Huawei's San Diego offices and conducted a sting operation against one of the company's representatives during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The FBI was investigating whether Huawei had tried to steal technology from a U.S. glass manufacturer, Akhan Semiconductor Inc, which manufacturers a diamond-coated glass it claims is ten times tougher than Gorilla Glass. The story claims a Huawei rep admitted the company is prohibiting its Chinese executives from flying to the U.S., perhaps worried they might be arrested. Bloomberg