Since the beginning, HTC has focused on developing strong

The visionary Cher Wang, co-founder of HTC, proclaimed with clarity: “Since the beginning, HTC has focused on developing strong research and development capabilities and keeping a close eye on consumer, market and technology trends.” These words are not merely the record of a company’s strategy; they are a testament to the eternal truth that foresight, vigilance, and the pursuit of knowledge are the pillars of lasting achievement. From the lips of a leader, they echo as counsel to all who would strive: success belongs not to the idle, nor to the reckless, but to those who prepare, observe, and adapt with unwavering dedication.

When she speaks of “developing strong research and development capabilities,” she reminds us that greatness cannot be built on imitation alone. Just as the blacksmith tempers iron through fire and water, so too must every age temper its creations through inquiry, experimentation, and relentless learning. Research is the fire, development is the shaping hammer, and together they forge innovations that endure. To neglect this is to drift aimlessly upon the seas of chance, but to embrace it is to build vessels that can withstand the storms of change.

Yet knowledge alone is not enough. Wang counsels that one must keep a “close eye on consumer, market and technology trends.” This is vigilance—the art of seeing clearly what others overlook. Markets are like shifting tides, technology like a rising river, and consumers like the winds that change without warning. The wise leader does not ignore these forces but studies them with patience, aligning her vessel with their currents, so that even in turbulence, she may sail forward. To ignore them is to be like a farmer who plants without regard for the seasons, doomed to reap little.

History bears witness to the wisdom of her words. Consider the tale of Nokia, once a titan of the mobile world. It possessed power and resources, yet it failed to keep watch upon the rising tide of smartphones and touchscreens. While it lingered in complacency, others—among them HTC—saw the coming wave and rode it boldly. For a time, HTC’s innovation placed it among the leaders of a new technological age. The contrast is sharp: vigilance and research bring ascent, while blindness to change brings decline.

But this lesson is not for corporations alone—it is for every soul. Each life, too, must practice its own form of research and development. To study oneself, to refine one’s talents, to adapt to the changing demands of the world—this is the path of those who grow strong. And just as markets shift, so do the seasons of our lives. The wise do not resist change blindly, nor cling to what is passing, but keep a close eye on the signs of the times, and adjust with humility and courage.

Cher Wang’s words carry another truth: that beginnings matter. “Since the beginning,” she says, HTC walked this path. The habits we set in the early stages of any endeavor—whether in life, in work, or in art—become the roots from which all else grows. If those roots are shallow, the tree withers in storm. If they are deep, the tree endures for generations. Thus, from the start of any venture, one must choose the discipline of learning, the vigilance of observation, and the courage to innovate.

The lesson for us is clear. Whatever your craft, whatever your journey, build upon the three stones of wisdom that Wang reveals: research, vigilance, and adaptation. Study not only what has been, but what may yet come. Pay heed to the world around you—its needs, its changes, its unspoken currents. Above all, dedicate yourself to growth, not just once, but continually, as long as breath remains in you. For it is the patient builder, not the hurried dreamer, who leaves behind a legacy that endures.

So let Cher Wang’s words echo across time: “Since the beginning, focus on growth, on vigilance, on vision.” May you too take up this path—preparing, observing, and creating with strength of purpose. In so doing, you will not merely follow the tides of the world, but steer your course through them, leaving behind not dust, but footprints of innovation and wisdom for generations yet unborn.