Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has urged executives to avoid complacency despite a sharp rebound in earnings. In a recent seminar, he invoked his late father Lee Kun-hee's words, stressing that the company faces a 'last chance' to restore its competitiveness. This comes amid a semiconductor upcycle driven by AI demand.
On January 25, 2026, in Seoul, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong delivered a message to over 2,000 group executives at a seminar, warning against complacency despite expected record earnings for the fourth quarter of 2025: sales of 93 trillion won ($63.95 billion) and operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion). The seminar featured a video clip quoting the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee from 2007, stating, “this is not the time to become complacent just because the numbers have improved.”
The clip, first shown earlier this month at a dinner hosted by Lee Jae-yong for affiliate heads, has been screened repeatedly. It revisited Lee Kun-hee's 'sandwich crisis' theory, where Korea was caught between Japan's technological strength and China's price competitiveness. Lee Jae-yong noted that the landscape has shifted to U.S.-China rivalry, leaving Korea in an even more precarious position. Recalling his own remarks from last year's seminar, he said Samsung had “lost its Samsung-like resilience” and urged a “do-or-die” mindset.
Samsung Electronics struggled in its semiconductor business from 2023 through the first half of 2025 but signaled a turnaround with preliminary earnings guidance released on January 8, driven by an AI-fueled DRAM market upcycle. However, weakening profitability in home appliances and smartphones underscores the risks. Lee emphasized AI-centered management, securing top talent, and fostering innovation to rebuild technological edge.
The company will hold its earnings call on Thursday, January 29, alongside rival SK hynix. These group-wide seminars resumed last year after a nine-year hiatus, following annual sessions from 2009 to 2016.
