Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is making headlines for conveying his determination to executives that it's do or  die time which is conveyed in Korean as "live or die." This is interpreted as a strong message to overcome domestic and international adversities, such as delays in the supply of high value-added memory semiconductors China's fierce pursuit and U.S. tariffs.

According to the business community, Samsung recently shared Chairman Lee's message at a seminar for executives, saying, "We must overcome the crisis with the determination to live or die."

AJU NEWS further reported that Samsung Electronics' core business, the semiconductor (DS) division, is experiencing difficulties due to intensifying global competition and delays in the delivery of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). There are growing concerns about weakening technological competitiveness as Samsung Electronics' semiconductor business performance fell short of market expectations despite the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) last year. The company has been going through the quality verification process for the 5th generation HBM3E to be supplied to NVIDIA in the U.S. for over a year, but there has been no news yet of passing the quality test.

The foundry (semiconductor consignment manufacturing) business is posting deficits in the trillions of won, and the gap with the world's No. 1 Taiwanese TSMC is widening. According to market research firm TrendForce, TSMC's foundry market share in the fourth quarter of last year was 67.1%, while Samsung Electronics, in second place, had 8.1%.

These risks are reflected in the performance outlook. According to the financial information company F&Guide, Samsung Electronics' estimated operating profit for the first quarter of this year is 5.29 trillion won, down 20% from the same period last year.

A breakthrough is also urgently needed in the device experience (DX) sector, including smartphones. It is struggling to defend its market share between Apple, which dominates the premium market, and Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo, which are focusing on cost-effectiveness.

New technology products such as foldable phones are being released, but market expansion is below expectations. The smartphone market share fell from 19.7% in 2023 to 18.3% last year, and the TV market share fell from 30.1% to 28.3%.

The Strengthening of protectionist policies in the United States is also a burden. As the Trump administration's second term drives tariffs, the stable operation of the global supply chain has become even more difficult. Although astronomical costs were spent on establishing a semiconductor plant in the United States, there is also the possibility of suffering double trouble due to the possibility of abolishing related subsidies and increased production costs. 

Today, at a shareholders meeting, Han Jong-hee, co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics Co, .said it is looking at major deals to drive growth as it faced tough questions from shareholders after its failure to ride an artificial intelligence boom made it one of the worst-performing tech stocks last year.

Another report from TrendForce claims that Samsung has reportedly Halted Mexico Investments, Plans 30% Job Cuts Under Trump Tariff Pressure.