SCALE UP - Conversation with Philip Zheng, ex-Senior Vice President @MEGVII, ex-Baidu and Microsoft

My guest this week is Philip Zheng, Philip has over 30 years of HR experience across big tech and startups. Self-described as an achiever when growing up, Philip stumbled into the HR field from a happy coincidence during his first graduate job. Back in 1995, the HR field in China was still in its infant stages, and local companies predominantly viewed HR as an administrative function and referred to HR as “Personnel” rather than “Resource”.

Drawing from his education background in international affairs, Philip always maintained a focus on the bigger picture. This led him to ride a few waves of technology transformation, from the industrial age to the software era, and ultimately to the advent of AI. Throughout his career, he has held top HR leadership positions at renowned companies such as Microsoft, Motorola, Baidu, and MEGVII—an AI unicorn in China, with AI-powered solutions include: Personal IoT solutions to improve user experience on personal devices by empowering cameras with AI; City IoT solutions to enhance public safety, optimize city and community management, and improve urban resource planning; and Supply Chain IoT solutions to make the supply chain more efficient through AI-empowered robots and sensors.

Dive in this interview (in Chinese) to find out Philip’s scaling regrets, his secret ingredients when pivoting careers and his top advice for next-generation aspiring HR professionals.

“Instead of rushing to point out someone's mistakes or hastily trying to fix things, sometimes it's essential to allow time for the business and the entire organization to recognize those mistakes.”