Lazada CEO warns against ‘walled garden super app’ in tech

While Lazada has largely focused on online shopping, South-East Asian peers such as Grab Holdings Ltd and GoTo have expanded their apps to encompass everything from e-commerce and ride-hailing to banking. — AFP Relaxnews

Chun Li, who presides over Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s South-East Asian unit Lazada, said digital companies in the region should steer away from creating walled-garden super apps in favour of more collaboration and differentiation.

“We should work together to build an open network in this digital economy, not a walled-garden super application or platform,” Li said in his keynote speech at Singapore Apex Business Summit on Tuesday, referring to lessons he learned from his experience in the US and China. “All players should focus on what they do best.”