Vizio founder William Wang describes the company's early connected TV innovations and smart TV development starting in 2009.
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Wang built a Linux-based smart TV prototype with apps in 1998
“I actually had a whole design lab. We laid out a board. We found a software company in Boston to do, to Linux-based software for us. I found the chip supplier. Put a CPU in the TV and connect it to the internet. And when you turn on that TV, first page was app…”
Insight
Wang slashed TV prices using vertical de-integration and Taiwanese manufacturing
“I found the right factory in Taiwan. They can build a lot cheaper than, at the time, the labor costs in Japan. And, the components are all the same. At the same time, we've, we're vertically deintegrated, I use that efficiency, and we pass the saving to the co…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Wang: Sony and Panasonic avoided Costco to protect Best Buy and Circuit City
“People like Sony and Panasonic, and they don't want to deal with Costco. They give Costco the leftovers because it's, ah, they want to protect their existing dealership with Circuit City and Best Buy.”
Disclosure
Wang: Costco bought Vizio TVs for $2,400 and sold them for $2,500
“They were, they would buy like 2400, sell it for 2500 dollars.”
Assertion Partly supported
Vizio generated over $700M in media platform revenue last year
“We built a platform that, you know, last year we did over seven hundred million dollars in media.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Wang: Gateway accounted for 70% to 80% of Mag InnoVision monitor sales
“Yeah, I would say 70, 80%.”