XPENG has not too long ago been named 2026 Forbes China Most In style Employer amongst workers. This isn’t the primary time XPENG has gained an employer award. Having visited their campuses and seen how the corporate treats its workers, I can perceive why. From the approachability and openness of the executives to the worker mothers serving meals within the cafeteria, the know-how firm simply feels extra human.
The 2026 Forbes worker questionnaire consists of six sections: “Employer Picture”, “Organizational Administration”, “Coaching and Improvement”, “Work Surroundings”, “Compensation and Advantages” and, new for this 12 months, “AI Worth Creation”.
That final part on AI worth creation is especially necessary. As Forbes factors out, AI being helpful doesn’t essentially imply a greater expertise. Corporations can both use AI to easily attempt to change folks or to broaden the capabilities of their folks. If firms take the mistaken strategy, AI might be stifling. Nevertheless, if firms the know-how appropriately and embrace the capabilities, AI can broaden creativity, liberate folks from mundane duties and improve worker satisfaction.
Having had the chance to fulfill many individuals throughout XPENG on my current journeys, I got here away impressed not simply with how nicely the corporate appeared to deal with its folks. A dramatic departure from lots of the media portrayals of China within the West. However I used to be additionally impressed with how passionate folks had been in regards to the know-how and bringing it to clients. Whether or not it’s somebody in finance, HR, PR or a technical discipline, all of them have the know-how as their focus. A know-how focus that may be very human. Offering options for human wants with know-how.
So, after I had an opportunity to briefly interview He Xiaopeng straight, I requested him how he conjures up that zeal in his folks (auto translated with Google):
I consider that for an organization in a significant manufacturing nation, its foundational DNA is basically a mirrored image of its founder’s personal character. Personally, I’ve a deep ardour for know-how, and I worth a simple way of living mixed with an agile, fast-paced means of getting issues executed. Consequently, the folks I’ve recruited—those that align with this DNA—have stayed, whereas those that didn’t have naturally moved on. At XPENG, we have now a really excessive focus of technical expertise—over 40% of our crew maintain grasp’s or doctoral levels—all of whom are pushed by the need to develop the absolute best know-how. This can be a core attribute that has taken form over the course of our 12-year entrepreneurial journey. Now, as we glance towards world enlargement, I anticipate this similar DNA to assist us succeed internationally; for our crew, this represents a brand new problem—a recent evolution to embrace.
Once you consider within the mission of an organization, it turns into simpler to place within the work wanted so as to add worth. When that very same mission permeates from the highest to the underside of an organization, believing within the mission turns into a lot simpler.
Total, XPENG is concentrated on utilizing know-how to enhance folks’s lives. And make lives cleaner and safer for his or her workers, clients and world at massive. That general focus can attraction to many individuals across the globe, far past China, though it is going to take respect and adaptation to native must be totally embraced in all places.
Whereas we will get caught up in metrics like kWh of battery, coefficient of drag or km of vary, human beings are finally the rationale why each nice know-how succeeds. They’re the supply of each innovation. And individuals are the rationale why improvements matter.
Whereas their approaches could also be, totally different XPENG isn’t alone in specializing in the intersection of human beings and know-how (Xiaomi and Seres additionally gained employer awards from Forbes). Nevertheless, having had extra publicity to XPENG, I might see the emphasis all through their group. Regardless that these awards aren’t excellent, we will solely hope extra firms resolve to compete for who treats their workers the perfect. And we will solely hope extra firms begin specializing in the people who find themselves the rationale why the know-how issues. That focus additionally exhibits up for patrons within the merchandise they purchase, however that’s for an additional article.
