- Company
- Xiaomi
- Role
- Founder, Chairman & CEO
- Est. Net Worth
- $30 Billion (Est.)
- Stage
- Elite
- Industry
- Tech & SaaS
Lei Jun
Founder, Chairman & CEO at Xiaomi
About
Lei Jun founded Xiaomi in 2010, building it into one of the world's largest smartphone and consumer electronics companies by offering high-quality devices at aggressive prices. Known as China's Steve Jobs, Lei Jun has expanded Xiaomi into smart home devices, electric vehicles, and internet services, making it a global brand sold in over 100 countries.
Current Company
Xiaomi — Founder, Chairman & CEO
China's Steve Jobs
Lei Jun was already one of China's most successful tech executives — having led Kingsoft Software as CEO for over a decade — when he founded Xiaomi in 2010 at age 41. Inspired by Apple's focus on design and user experience but committed to a fundamentally different pricing strategy, Lei Jun set out to build world-class smartphones and sell them at near-cost, making money on software and services instead.
The strategy worked spectacularly. Xiaomi became one of the world's top smartphone brands within four years, reaching a $45 billion valuation in its 2018 IPO — then the largest tech IPO in years. Lei Jun's charismatic product launches, inspired by Steve Jobs's keynote style, earned him the nickname China's Steve Jobs and made him one of the most recognizable business leaders in Asia.
From Phones to Electric Vehicles
Lei Jun has expanded Xiaomi far beyond smartphones into a vast ecosystem of connected devices — smart TVs, wearables, air purifiers, scooters, and hundreds of IoT products — all linked through Xiaomi's software platform. The company now sells products in over 100 countries and has become one of the most comprehensive consumer electronics companies in the world.
In 2021, Lei Jun announced Xiaomi's entry into electric vehicles, committing $10 billion over ten years. The company's first car, the SU7 sedan, launched in 2024 to strong initial demand. For Lei Jun, the EV push represents the next chapter in his long-term vision of building a complete hardware-software ecosystem that touches every aspect of daily life.