Lee Jae-yong marks 4th anniversary at Samsung's helm

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong marked his fourth anniversary at the helm on Tuesday as the company estimated third-quarter operating profit at 107.4 trillion won. Lee has generally avoided public statements, focusing instead on visiting business sites and meeting employees, but has urged investment and warned against complacency during periods of challenge and recovery. Samsung has regained competitiveness in high-bandwidth memory and begun mass production and shipments of HBM4. The company faces the task of turning the memory-chip boom into broader growth while addressing losses in its Device Experience division and internal bonus disputes.

Lee was promoted from vice chairman to executive chairman on Oct. 27, 2022.

Samsung’s Oct. 8 earnings guidance estimated third-quarter operating profit of 107.4 trillion won, up 782.5 percent year-on-year.

Samsung said it became the world’s first chipmaker to begin mass production and shipments of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, earlier this year.

Samsung acquired FlaktGroup, Masimo’s audio business and Xealth last year, and agreed to acquire ZF’s advanced driver assistance systems business through Harman.

Samsung established its Robotics Experience division in July, while disputes over performance bonuses have fueled conflicts between labor unions representing employees in different divisions.

Published Oct 27, 2026 7:00 am KST

Robotics business, unity among employees remain as tasks

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, center, visits the construction site of Al Dhafra Power Plant in the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Tuesday marked his 4th anniversary at the helm of Korea’s largest conglomerate. With Samsung Electronics set to become one of the world’s most profitable companies with over 100 trillion won in operating profit in the third quarter, Lee’s efforts to restore the company’s competitiveness in semiconductor and foster future growth businesses are becoming increasingly evident.

According to Samsung Electronics, the company will not hold an official ceremony to celebrate the anniversary, and Lee will also not issue a separate statement.

Lee was promoted from vice chairman to executive chairman on Oct. 27, 2022, but both before and after his promotion, he has generally refrained from making public statements about the company at formal events, focusing instead on visiting business sites and meeting employees.

When Lee has spoken publicly, it has generally been at times when the company faced a crisis. Upon taking on the chairmanship, he wrote a message calling for investments in technologies that did not yet exist. In March last year, when Samsung's earnings growth slowed after it fell behind rivals in advanced memory chips, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM), Lee said: “What matters is not the crisis itself, but how we respond to it,” adding that the company must invest in its future even at the expense of short-term profits.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong speaks during the Korea Society's 2026 Annual Gala in New York, Sept. 28. Courtesy of the Korea Society

In January this year, when the company began showing signs of exponential profit growth in its chip business, he warned against complacency, saying, “this is no time to feel relieved just because the numbers have improved somewhat” and “this is the last chance to improve our competitiveness.”

The remarks resulted in handsome numbers in the company’s third-quarter earnings. In its earnings guidance released on Oct. 8, the company estimated its operating profit at 107.4 trillion won, up 782.5 percent year-on-year. This would make Samsung Electronics the most profitable global tech company in terms of quarterly operating profit, surpassing Nvidia and Apple.

The company has benefited from a global memory chip boom, driven by surging prices amid growing investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. At the same time, its proactive investment in technology has helped it regain competitiveness in HBM, once considered one of its biggest weaknesses. Earlier this year, Samsung became the world's first chipmaker to begin mass production and shipments of HBM4, the sixth generation of HBM.

A SEDEX 2026 participant takes a photo of Samsung Electronics' high bandwidth memory 4E at the company's booth at the event in Gangnam District, Seoul, Oct. 14. Yonhap

The profits generated from memory boom is expected to secure financial resources for the company’s investment in next-generation semiconductors and new businesses, particularly for merger and acquisitions in robotics, automotive electronics and AI.

Last year, Samsung Electronics acquired German heating, ventilation and air conditioning company FlaktGroup, the audio business of U.S.-based Masimo and digital health care company Xealth. It also agreed to acquire German automotive supplier ZF's advanced driver assistance systems business through its subsidiary Harman. In robotics, Samsung laid the groundwork for business expansion by making Rainbow Robotics a subsidiary.

Challenges also remain for Lee. On the business front, Samsung Electronics needs to translate the memory chip boom into growth momentum for other businesses. Its Device Experience division, which is in charge of smartphones and home appliances, once served as the company's main profit drivers before semiconductors took the lead, but has have fallen into the red.

Its robotics business also remains largely under wraps. In July, Samsung established the Robotics Experience division, a robotics unit, but the company has yet to demonstrate what it can deliver in the robotics market.

Internally, disputes over performance bonuses have effectively divided Samsung Electronics into semiconductor and non-semiconductor companies, fueling conflicts between labor unions representing employees in different divisions.

“To turn the semiconductor boom as a sustainable growth, Samsung Electronics still faces daunting tasks to secure future growth drivers through technology investments and acquisitions,” an industry official said. “Also, achieving organizational unity as a single company remains as a critical challenge.”

三星电子执行会长李在镕周二迎来执掌公司四周年纪念日，公司预计第三季度营业利润为107.4万亿韩元。李在镕一向避免公开讲话，而是专注于走访业务现场和会见员工，但他一直敦促投资，并警告在充满挑战和复苏的时期切勿掉以轻心。三星已重获高带宽内存领域的竞争力，并开始量产和出货HBM4芯片。公司面临的挑战是如何将内存芯片的繁荣转化为更广泛的增长，同时还要解决设备体验部门的亏损和内部奖金纠纷。

2022年10月27日，李健熙由副董事长升任执行董事长。

三星10月8日发布的盈利预期显示，第三季度营业利润预计为107.4万亿韩元，同比增长782.5%。

三星表示，今年早些时候，它成为全球首家开始大规模生产和出货第六代高带宽内存（HBM4）的芯片制造商。

三星去年收购了 FlaktGroup、Masimo 的音频业务和 Xealth，并通过哈曼同意收购 ZF 的高级驾驶辅助系统业务。

三星于 7 月成立了机器人体验部门，但围绕绩效奖金的争议加剧了代表不同部门员工的工会之间的冲突。

发布于2026年10月27日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

机器人业务中，员工之间的团结仍然是一项任务。

三星电子执行会长李在镕（中）周三视察了位于阿联酋的阿布扎比​​阿兹特克（Al Dhafra）发电厂建设工地。图片由三星电子提供。

三星电子执行会长李在镕周二迎来了他执掌韩国最大企业集团三星电子四周年纪念日。三星电子第三季度营业利润超过100万亿韩元，有望成为全球最赚钱的公司之一。李在镕为重振公司在半导体领域的竞争力并培育未来增长型业务所做的努力正日益显现成效。

三星电子表示，公司不会举行官方仪式庆祝周年纪念，李健熙也不会发表单独声明。

李在2022年10月27日从副董事长升任执行董事长，但在升任前后，他通常避免在正式场合就公司发表公开声明，而是专注于视察业务地点和会见员工。

李健熙公开讲话通常都是在公司面临危机之时。他上任董事长之初就发表声明，呼吁投资当时尚不存在的技术。去年3月，三星在先进存储芯片（例如高带宽内存（HBM））领域落后于竞争对手，导致盈利增长放缓。李健熙表示：“重要的不是危机本身，而是我们如何应对危机。”他还补充说，公司必须投资未来，即使这意味着牺牲短期利润。

三星电子执行会长李在镕于9月28日在纽约举行的韩国协会2026年度晚宴上发表讲话。图片由韩国协会提供。

今年 1 月，当公司芯片业务开始出现利润呈指数级增长的迹象时，他警告人们不要自满，并表示：“现在还不是因为数字有所改善就感到放松的时候”，“这是提高我们竞争力的最后机会”。

这些言论促成了该公司第三季度亮眼的业绩。在10月8日发布的盈利预期中，该公司预计其营业利润将达到107.4万亿韩元，同比增长782.5%。这将使三星电子成为全球季度营业利润最高的科技公司，超越英伟达和苹果。

该公司受益于全球存储芯片市场的繁荣，这主要得益于人工智能（AI）基础设施投资不断增长导致的芯片价格飙升。与此同时，其在技术方面的积极投入也帮助其重获在HBM领域的竞争力，而HBM曾被认为是其最大的弱点之一。今年早些时候，三星成为全球首家开始量产和出货HBM4（第六代HBM）的芯片制造商。

10月14日，在首尔江南区举行的SEDEX 2026展会上，一名参会者在三星电子展位前拍摄其高带宽内存4E。（韩联社）

存储器热潮带来的利润有望为公司投资下一代半导体和新业务提供资金，特别是用于机器人、汽车电子和人工智能领域的并购。

去年，三星电子收购了德国暖通空调公司FlaktGroup、美国音频公司Masimo的音频业务以及数字医疗公司Xealth。此外，三星还通过其子公司哈曼(Harman)同意收购德国汽车供应商采埃孚(ZF)的高级驾驶辅助系统业务。在机器人领域，三星通过成立子公司Rainbow Robotics，为业务扩张奠定了基础。

李健熙也面临着诸多挑战。在业务方面，三星电子需要将存储芯片的蓬勃发展转化为其他业务的增长动力。其负责智能手机和家用电器的设备体验部门，在半导体业务崛起之前曾是公司的主要利润来源，但如今已陷入亏损。

三星的机器人业务也仍然鲜为人知。今年7月，三星成立了机器人体验部门（Robotics Experience），但该公司尚未展示其在机器人市场能够提供什么。

在公司内部，关于绩效奖金的争议实际上将三星电子分裂成了半导体公司和非半导体公司，加剧了代表不同部门员工的工会之间的冲突。

一位业内人士表示：“要将半导体行业的繁荣转化为可持续增长，三星电子仍面临艰巨的任务，需要通过技术投资和收购来确保未来的增长动力。此外，实现公司内部的统一仍然是一项关键挑战。”