Republic of Samsung

Samsung Rising: Inside the secretive company conquering tech

March 22, 2020

Geoffrey Cain, a journalist who has reported for The Economist and the Wall Street Journal, does his material proud. Unlike their Silicon Valley counterparts, Asia’s tech champions lack the type of leaders that are sufficiently well known to carry a business biography: no mercurial Steve Jobs or Elon Musk and certainly no college dropouts such as Mark Zuckerberg or Elizabeth Holmes of scandal-ridden Theranos to act as storytelling device.

By Louise Lucas
Financial Times

Mar 19, 2020

Asia’s Richest Families 2017: How The Lees Made South Korea The ‘Republic Of Samsung’

November 14, 2017

This story is part of Forbes’ coverage of Asia’s 50 Richest Families 2017. “Lee Kun-hee, the chairman of Samsung, was a master of careful, cautious and shrewd decision-making,” says Geoffrey Cain, writing a book about the empire.

By Donald Kirk
Forbes

Nov 14, 2017

Why justice in Korean Air’s nut rage case was a big surprise

February 14, 2015

SEOUL, South Korea — Ever since the 2008 economic crisis, Americans have bemoaned the impunity and influence-peddling of Wall Street.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Feb 14, 2015

In the Republic of Samsung, here’s the ticket to the good life

January 26, 2015

SEOUL, South Korea — In a trendy Gangnam high-rise, a whiz-kid professor named Lee Sihan urges his classroom of 28 students not to fret. The big exam you’ve been preparing for — the one that could land you a Samsung dream job — won’t be that bad if you put the hours in.

By Geoffrey Cain
USA TODAY

Jan 26, 2015

Does Samsung have Apple in a headlock?

June 4, 2013

SEOUL, South Korea — Koreans like to joke by welcoming foreign visitors to the “Republic of Samsung.” Among an oligarchy of competitors, South Korea’s largest conglomerate is a ubiquitous presence.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Jun 4, 2013

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Geoffrey Cain In The Media

How China Perfected the Surveillance State

March 25, 2025

Geoffrey Cain on Investigative Journalism, Authoritarian Power, and The Perfect Police State | In a wide-ranging conversation with Jennifer Grossman, CEO of The Atlas Society, investigative journalist Geoffrey Cain reflects on years spent reporting inside some of the world’s most restrictive regimes — and on the research behind his book The Perfect Police State: An Undercover Odyssey into China’s Terrifying Surveillance Dystopia of the Future.

Articles

Thanks to AI, Apple’s China problem is only getting worse

February 21, 2025

For years, Tim Cook insisted Apple could change China from the inside. Instead, China changed Apple.
The latest evidence? Apple spent billions developing cutting-edge electric vehicle battery technology with Chinese automaker BYD, only to watch its innovations become the cornerstone of BYD’s rise to global electric vehicle dominance. Apple walked away with nothing. China walked away with everything.
This isn’t just another story about corporate research and development gone wrong. It’s a cautionary tale about how even America’s most valuable company has become trapped in China’s web of technological control — and how that web is about to tighten even further.