Why Did Li Auto Suddenly Stop Following Huawei?
Li Auto’s Shift from Huawei-Inspired Management to AI-Native Strategy
The Buzz: “Li Auto Abandoning Huawei’s Model”
Recently, talk has been circulating that Li Auto is “giving up on learning from Huawei”.
Here’s why people are saying this:
- Founder Li Xiang is now personally managing HR.
- Huawei-background executives have left the company.
- Li Auto dropped Huawei’s PBC performance model.
- OKR management was relaunched.
- Management once had to read at least 10 Huawei-related books.
For years, Li Auto faithfully studied Huawei’s systems. Now it seems like a top student suddenly saying, “I’m not coming anymore.”
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Is Li Auto Really Abandoning Huawei’s Ways?
Short answer: No.
Instead, Li Auto’s mission evolved — and strategy, organizational structure, and management methods simply followed.
> When the soul changes, the body must change too.
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How Li Auto’s Learning from Huawei Began
The 2022 Turning Point
- Li Auto’s Li ONE SUV faced the AITO M7 from Huawei + Seres.
- The M7 struck Li ONE’s market segment with a dimensionality reduction attack.
- Li Xiang admitted: “Beaten badly.”
- Orders collapsed, production ended months early.
Lesson learned: Product definition capability was fragile against industry giants.
The Huawei Strategy
Li Auto responded by learning IPD (Integrated Product Development), a rigorous framework Huawei adopted from IBM.
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Understanding IPD
What Is IPD?
A phased, review-heavy development system — like building a skyscraper floor by floor with strict checkpoints.
In cars, it ensures complex, multi-part products are built with quality and certainty.
Advantages:
- High stability
- Error prevention during multi-model launches
Drawbacks:
- Slow decision-making
- Heavy processes
- Difficult to adapt quickly to market shifts
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From IPD 1.0 to Matrix 2.0
Matrix 2.0 adjustments:
- Split horizontal project teams into:
- Platform teams
- Vehicle model teams
- Empower teams for faster decisions.
- Reduce endless approvals.
> If IPD is a national highway, Matrix 2.0 adds overpasses for better flow.
Still, the focus remained: how to build a great car.
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The Mission Evolves: AI Terminals
New Goal
Li Auto’s mission became:
“To be a globally leading AI terminal company”, not just a carmaker.
“AI terminal” means:
- The car is merely an AI-powered “body.”
- Future products may go far beyond vehicles.
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Why IPD Doesn’t Fit AI Development
Hardware logic (cars):
- Long cycles
- Stability-oriented
- Designed to eliminate uncertainty
Software/AI logic:
- Short cycles
- Embraces uncertainty
- Constant data-model-experience feedback loop
You can’t use skyscraper methods to lead a special forces team.
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The Shift to AI-Native Organization
Li Auto reorganized its intelligent driving team:
- Broke large departments into 11 small, agile teams.
- Teams specialize in narrow functions (algorithms, data labeling, simulation).
- Operate independently, iterate fast.
Benefits of small teams:
- Speed
- Agility
- Ability to sprint every two weeks with measurable feature updates
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Key Takeaways
- Not abandonment — it’s evolution.
- Huawei’s methods worked in the hardware phase.
- AI development demands agile, iterative structures.
- Outstanding learners adapt instead of just copying.
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True Learning
Li Xiang’s approach shows:
> Real learning is not becoming a better version of someone else, but becoming a better version of yourself.
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Broader Relevance
Li Auto’s journey mirrors trends in tech companies worldwide:
- Moving from heavy processes to flexible, AI-integrated workflows
- Emphasizing rapid iteration and cross-functional agility
AI for Content Creation
Similar principles apply in digital content and business:
- Platforms like AiToEarn官网 make AI-native workflows easy:
- AI generation tools
- Cross-platform publishing (Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter)
- Analytics & model rankings
Both Li Auto and AiToEarn show the power of building natively for AI — whether in cars or creativity.
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In short:
Li Auto didn’t “quit” learning from Huawei — it graduated to a new mission where the old tools aren’t the best fit. The best organizations evolve their methods with their goals.
