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Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Here are a few charts that help to explain Xiaomi and its founder Lei Jun.

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts
Lei Jun, chairman and chief executive officer of Xiaomi Corp., right, and Chew Shou Zi, senior vice president and chief financial officer, give a thumbs up while posing for photographs ahead of the company’s listing ceremony at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong, China. (Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- After months of anticipation, Xiaomi Corp. finally made its trading debut in Hong Kong.

The company is often compared with Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Chief Financial Officer Chew Shou Zi told Bloomberg TV’s Stephen Engle on Monday that “Our conclusion is that we’re actually a new species.”

Here, then, are a few charts that help to explain Xiaomi and its founder Lei Jun.

While revenue has climbed, the smartphone maker’s net losses have widened:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Its core hardware business has been hot since late 2016:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

But Xiaomi actually makes more money from its portfolio of investments:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Gross margins have expanded from economies of scale in the company’s hardware business, while those investment gains have boosted operating profitability:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Although public shareholders finally get the chance to buy into the Xiaomi story, they’re really just passengers with Lei Jun retaining control:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Lei Jun even gave himself a tidy pre-IPO stock award in April, worth more than $1 billion at the IPO price:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

That gift won’t help shareholders much because it’s costing the company more than 9.8 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), equivalent to double Xiaomi's average quarterly loss:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

The firm’s shares received a cool reception:

Captain Xiaomi and His Floating Empire, in Charts

Xiaomi was once expected to be a $100 billion company. On its first day of trading, investors seem more comfortable with a $50 billion market cap. Lei Jun has a lot of work ahead to change their mind.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Katrina Nicholas at knicholas2@bloomberg.net

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.