Samsung boss warns top executives against chilling out during good times

Samsung has seen a remarkable turnaround in its fortunes over the past year. The memory super cycle has contributed billions more to its bottom line and greater interest in its advanced chipmaking capacity is close to generating a decent return on that significant investment.

One might feel compelled to pat themselves on the back for a job well done and take it easy, but that's precisely what Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee is warning top executives against.

In a message sent to Samsung Group executives, Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee warned them of being complacent just because the conglomerate hit record earnings in the fourth quarter of last year.

The conglomerate has held seminar sessions for over 2,000 exectives last week. It was during these sessions that a video from the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, the father of Jay Y. Lee, was played, in which he said “this is not the time to become complacent just because the numbers have improved.”

The message was also played during a dinner gathering of Samsung affiliate heads hosted by Jay Y. Lee earlier this month. He is evidently is doubling down on his father's message as Samsung positions itself to fully capitalize on the opportunities that exist in the market today.

While it remains unclear if the clip that's being played contains direct remarks from Jay Y. Lee, but the fact that it has been played in settings where he was present is being interpreted as reflecting his message.