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Who are China’s top 5 tech billionaires and what was their ‘eureka!’ moment?

From left: Jack Ma, William Ding, Robin Li, Lei Jun and Pony Ma each had their own inspirations.
From left: Jack Ma, William Ding, Robin Li, Lei Jun and Pony Ma each had their own inspirations.
Luxury CEOs

How much do we really know about the stories behind the innovations of trailblazers like Jack Ma, Lei Jun and Robin Li?

These five tech entrepreneurs each gets a slot on Bloomberg Billionaires Index’s top 10 in China. Maybe you already know who they are, but what do you know about the story behind the business idea each one came up with?

Lei Jun

Xiaomi’s founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun. Photo: AP
Xiaomi’s founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun. Photo: AP
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Co-founder of smartphone maker Xiaomi

Age: 48

Estimated net worth: US$11.3 billion

Lei started Xiaomi, which is referred to as the “Apple of China”, after turning 40. Xiaomi, which means “millet” in Chinese, makes smartphones, TVs, smart devices and even home appliances.

It is now the fourth largest smartphone company after Samsung, Huawei and Apple, according to International Data Corporation, offering high-quality devices at a much lower price than its competitors, mainly to Chinese and Indian markets.

“A book and a person changed my life,” says Lei in the book Seizing the Opportune Moment written by Jiang Hongjun. “The book, Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, gave me this inspiration – if you have a dream, give it a try. Maybe in the end, you really can build a world-class company.”

Indeed, Fire in the Valley may be highly inspirational reading material to computer lovers such as Lei. The book talks about how computer pioneers like Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Bill Gates started a technological revolution in an area of San Francisco known today as Silicon Valley.