This is why I read Bruce Sterling. He points me at stuff like this.
http://stratechery.com/2015/xiaomis-ambition/

via http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/478/Bruce-Sterling-Cory-Doctorow-Jon-page03.html

What is certain, though, is that Xiaomi isn’t going to the West anytime soon. Not only would the licensing fees be prohibitive,6 but the West already has fully furnished houses and powerhouse brands. The opportunity is simply so much greater elsewhere. It’s absolutely the truth that a company can be worth $45 billion - and, in the long run, probably a lot more - without ever targeting the United States or Western Europe.