Lei Jun was born on 16 December 1969 in Xiantao, Hubei. In 1987, he graduated from Mianyang Middle School and began attending Wuhan University, where he completed all credits within two years and graduated with a BA in computer science. During his last year of college he started his first company. In 1992, Lei joined Kingsoft as an engineer, becoming the CEO of the company in 1998 and leading it towards an IPO. On 20 December 2007, he resigned as president and CEO of Kingsoft for "health reasons". After resigning from Kingsoft, Lei became a prolific angel investor in China, investing in over 20 companies including Vancl.com, UCWeb, and social platform YY. He continues to invest in companies in the e-commerce, social networking, and mobile industries through Shunwei Capital, an investment company for which he was a founding partner. In 2000, Lei founded Joyo.com, an online bookstore, which he sold for US$75 million to Amazon.com in 2004. In 2008, he became a chairman of UCWeb. In 2010, Lei Jun founded Xiaomi Inc, a technology company that manufactures smartphones, mobile apps, and other consumer electronics. His cofounders include Lin Bin, vice president of the Google ChinaInstitute of Engineering; Dr Zhou Guangping, senior director of the Motorola Beijing R&D center;YanJiahui, department head of industrial design at the University of Science and Technology Beijing; Li Wanqiang, general manager of Kingsoft Dictionary; Wong Kong-Kat, principal development manager; and Hong Feng, senior product manager for Google China. in December 2019 Lei Jun steps down as president of Xiaomi. In 2011, he rejoined Kingsoft as chairman. In 2013, Lei Jun was appointed a delegate of the National People's Congress. In 2014, he was named Businessman of the Year by Forbes.
Recognition
Lei Jun's business activities have been recognized through multiple industry awards. In 1998, he was named an honorary professor at Wuhan University, his alma mater, where there is also a scholarship in his name. In 2003, he was named an honorary professor at the Zhengzhou Institute of Engineering. In 2012, he was selected by China Central Television as one of the top 10 business leaders of the year. In 2013, he was named one of the 11 most powerful business people in Asia by Fortune as well as most notable entrepreneur by BAZAAR Men's Style. In 2014, he was named Businessman Of The Year by Forbes Asia.
Personal life
Lei Jun is married to Zhang Tong. They have two children.
