DAIMLER

Zetsche steps away from the company, enters Li Shufu?

Daimler, the motherhouse of Mercedes and Smart, has in Dieter Zetsche a respectful worker (and respected by everyone inside and outside the company) since 2006, who has run the German group for the past 12 years. His leadership has been successively renewed so far, when, to his surprise, he was announced that he had retired from the position of CEO and "lateralization" to the position of chairman, but only in 2021. For analysts, leading her to overtake Audi and BMW, deserved more and better.It is true that Zetsche is 65 years old and it is also true that Mercedes was involved in some controversy involving the Dieselgate, manipulated emissions, even in legal engines, which acquired from Renault and where later set up an electronic management that defrauded the legislation. But it is not evident that this is what Zetsche sent down, especially in this way: 'leave now, that in three years you become the chairman'.Another possible explanation involves Li Shufu, the Chinese owner of Geely, Volvo and the like, who acquired almost 9.7% of Daimler for $ 9 billion at the beginning of the year. First, Shufu said he would like to get a share of Daimler, as a special shareholder, with the German group to respond that this would never happen, that he was not welcome and that if he had a question, to carry out the operation through the stock exchange. The answer came through a spokesman, which in such a sensitive subject would never happen without Zetsche's endorsement.


After this first rinse, Li Shufu went to the market and actually bought 9.7% of Daimler (he could easily get 20 or 30% without much effort, because although the company is armored for quotas from 20%, there is always ways to circumvent this premise.After that, the spokesman returned to public to give another blow to Shufu, stating that the entry of the Chinese would not change the strategy of the German group to China, where he already had a partner, not Li Shufu, another unnecessary aggression that the Chinese would hardly forget.
As a couple of months after this double lack of courtesy to the group's largest shareholder, Zestche is sidelined to a limbo - Daimler could easily dismiss Manfred Bischoff, the current chairman whom no one knows and is due to leave in 2021 and who, as like Zetsche, was elected in 2006 and already has 76 springs -, the doubt as to the fact that Daimler's departure from Dieter has every reason to exist. Time will tell you why, but it is always good to keep in mind that CEOs (with no key stake in the company) are mere employees, and it is the shareholders (especially if they have a representative position) who truly command the Company.



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