Asus announces CEO departure and new smartphone strategy

Asus CEO Jerry Shen will leave the company on January 1, 2019. Simultaneously with that announcement, Asus announces its strategy for smartphones to change: the company will focus on gamers and power users.

Shen had been with Asus for 25 years and was CEO of the Taiwanese company for 11 years. Under his leadership, Asus released the PadFone, Transformer, ZenBook, ZenFone, and EeePC series, among others. He announces to Engadget that he will start working at iFast as chairman and director. This is a company that deals with internet-of-things and artificial intelligence. Asus has a 30 percent stake in iFast. Two individuals will assume the role of CEO from January 1, PC division chief executive SY Hsu and customer service leader Samson Hu.

The CEO’s departure coincides with a turnaround within the company, including a new mobile strategy. Asus will focus more on gamers and power users, making it unclear how the company’s ZenFones fit in there. Asus recently released the ROG Phone aimed at gamers.

Like many manufacturers, Asus’ mobile division is struggling to tie in with the major smartphone manufacturers, and by leveraging its image as a gaming product company, Asus is likely trying to gain market share in a niche.