People were quick to notice that and Xiaomi partner Pan Jiutang tried to diffuse the situation by claiming it makes sense to keep an eye on rival offerings. But then again, why would Lei supposedly use an iPhone as his main device if he is only just checking it out?

Even if you accept this reasoning and give the executive the benefit of doubt, his next move shows that perhaps this wasn’t the case and he does use an iPhone covertly. Lei actually deleted the post and published it again using the Mi 10 Pro.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. A Samsung brand ambassador and Realme India CEO have previously been caught using the iPhone. In some instances, celebrities who were supposed to promote an Android handset were spotted using an iPhone. However, it’s one thing for a celebrity to make such a callous mistake. It’s completely another for a co-founder to use a competing device.