Duan Yongping: Adults Who Hit Children Were Themselves Hit as Kids

Renowned entrepreneur and investor Duan Yongping, who has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years, made a rare appearance in the documentary series *Common Talk* Season 3 for an in-depth conversation with Wang Shi and Tian Pujun.

During the dialogue, Duan systematically elaborated on his philosophy of "staying true to one’s role," which underpins his business and investment practices. He extended this principle to corporate succession, intergenerational communication, and personal cultivation, demonstrating how a simple yet robust foundational logic can coherently support investment, management, and life.

**On Investment**: Duan emphasized, "The most important thing in investing is understanding the business." He shared insights from his famous lunch with Warren Buffett, highlighting how the dual filters of "business model" and "corporate culture" led him to invest in Apple and Kweichow Moutai.

**On Corporate Culture and Succession**: He revealed that the sustained success of OPPO and vivo stems not from individual authority but from a rigorous hiring principle—cultural fit over capability—and a system designed to let "time filter out incompatible colleagues."

**On Marketing**: Duan distilled marketing into its simplest yet highest principle: "Never lie." His pragmatic approach focuses on "communicating what users need to know with maximum efficiency."

**On Parenting**: He offered a piercing observation: "Adults who hit children were themselves hit as kids." Duan advocates a long-term parenting approach: "Unconditional love builds security, while bounded guidance establishes rules."

**On Rationality and Long-Termism**: Duan redefined "equanimity" as rationality—not mere composure but thinking long-term. "Long-term thinking is long-termism," he said, forming a self-consistent logical loop.

The conversation also touched on AI’s future, with Duan acknowledging its transformative efficiency while remaining agnostic about its ultimate impact.

This dialogue was more than a business interview—it was a deep exploration of Duan Yongping’s intellectual framework, proving that the wisest business strategies and the most grounded life philosophies share the same roots.