Beijing: Xiaomi Corp.’s international chief Hugo Barra has quit after a turbulent four years during which the Chinese smartphone maker rose to the top of its home market before local rivals mimicked its model and dethroned the brand. The former Google executive is returning to Silicon Valley after being hired with much fanfare in 2013 to be Xiaomi’s global face, becoming a fixture on the conference circuit and the up-and coming vendor’s main pitchman to foreign audiences. In a Facebook post Monday, Barra said it was time for him to return home to embark “on a new adventure”, without elaborating. Senior Vice-President Xiang Wang will oversee global operations after Barra departs in February, after the Lunar New Year holidays.
Barra was given the task of taking Xiaomi global, helping the company make inroads into India, where sales topped $1 billion for the first time in 2016.
