Why villainising Chinese smartphones won’t create any heroes

Chinese smartphone makers will certainly suffer. But that doesn't mean their Indian rivals will benefit Read this edition online Friday, 12 August, 2022 Inciting Incident is our weekly newsletter about the most powerful tool of our age—stories. Stories told by businesses, leaders, governments. Someone sent you this? Sign up here Good Afternoon Jigar,   Conflicts and complications are the most essential ingredients in a good story. And the simplest and most popular way to introduce conflict is by bringing in a villain. That may be the Big Bad Wolf or the Joker or Thanos, but they usually have only one role to play—make the Hero look good.    If there's no dark, ominous power threatening everything we love, we don't really need heroes, do we?    We see villains being constructed all too often in the real world too, and for exactly the same reason. They are a convenient other, someone or something that can serve as a lightning pole for discontent, anger, and just all-round negative vibes.   This could be the immigrant in a politician's election narrative, purportedly stealing jobs that aren't theirs. It could be a business rival; Steve Jobs rather famously constructed villains out of competitors to make Apple products look like heroes.    It could even be a company from an unfriendly foreign power.   On 8 August, a Bloomberg piece quoting unnamed sources said the Indian government was looking to ban Chinese smartphones in the sub-Rs 12,000 (US$150) band. Then, three days later, Livemint reported (also quoting unnamed government officials) that there was no such proposal under consideration by the government.    Which one is true is anyone's guess at this point, and we'll (probably) find out in some time.    But here's the thing. If such a ban were to be implemented, what would it really achieve? Will a ban on cheap Chinese phones help Indian companies?   Subscribe to The Stack to find out!  Only at: ₹199/month SUBSCRIBE Inciting Incident is published by The Ken—a digital, subscription-driven publication focussing on technology, business, science and healthcare. New to Inciting Incident? Try it, or see previous editions This newsletter was sent to jigar37.iilm09@blogger.com. Something wrong? Tell us at support@the-ken.com Want to unsubscribe from Inciting Incident, our premium weekly newsletter? Click here. Or set your email preferences here © 2021 The Ken