In a nod to Uber, the president of Didi Chuxing, China's largest ride-share app, says that competition can be good for business.
"Competition makes you stronger," Jean Liu told CNBC. "We love competition. It makes you more focused."
Liu has become a star in the technology industry after growing Didi's global partnerships with ride-share service Lyft and working with Apple CEO Tim Cook to secure a $1 billion dollar investment from the company.
Didi Chuxing, which translates to "honk honk, commute," is reportedly valued at $28 billion — about half the size of $66 billion Uber, its biggest rival in China.
"When you have competition, you're in a hurdles game; you just need to focus," said Liu, who previously worked in investment banking for 12 years. "You don't keep looking back, looking aside — you move on. You just keep looking at where you want to go."
Liu once called Uber's negative campaign against Didi "cute."
You just keep looking at where you want to go.Jean LiuPresident of ride-share app Didi Chuxing
Of course, running a global business requires having a thick skin.
"In the business world, there will be a lot of hiccups, professionally and personally," she said. "You need to have a strong heart to stomach everything."