Frank Wang, CEO of the world’s leading drone maker DJI, wrote an open letter to the Chinese media last Sunday to explain the widespread reports of drone crashes, and why the company had been reserved towards speaking to the media.
According to Wang, he did not want to be labeled as a public figure, and he had been concentrating on the drones themselves.
“Since the foundation of DJI a decade ago, we have been greatly enjoying ourselves in making quality products and solving management, HR and technical problems. I require all my staff to maintain a low profile for themselves, and reply to the media by launching good products,” said Wang in his letter.
Wang has been working in the frontline of the research and development (R&D) for the company. He led the team in solving the technical problems of the company’s newest drone, the Phantom 4, according to a report by tech blog Leiphong.com last Sunday.
Wang said in the letter that the company had not done enough in terms of relationships with the media, and would improve.
According to Sb-dji.com, a website reporting on drone crashes, 24 of the 47 crashes on the site were DJI drones in July 2016. Most of the 1,800 crashes that Sb-dji.com has reported since 2013 were DJI drones, according to a report by news website ifeng.com.
Overall though, finding accurate statistics of drone crashes is difficult, especially when taking into account the uncertainties of user error. Sb-dji.com was set up by an ex-user of DJI drones who experienced a drone crash and is inviting other users to expose other crashes.
A DJI spokesman told the media earlier that most drone crashes were due to users’ improper use of the machines. But apparently, the media would not settle for a spokesman; they wanted the big boss to talk.
“Although the technologies are becoming mature and more reliable, the drone industry is still in its early stage. A small careless operation or technical problem will lead to grave consequences, since, after all, drones would fall from the sky,” said Wang.
“It seems that DJI has got a bad rap, but it’s just that all the reports you see are about crashes. The percentage of DJI’s crashes has shown that most users are enjoying our products.”
(Top photo from Pixabay.com)