Lei Jun, the visionary founder and CEO of Xiaomi, continues to transform the Chinese tech landscape with his bold moves in high-end smartphones, smart devices, and electric vehicles. Under his leadership, Xiaomi recently became the first company under Hong Kong’s weighted voting rights structure to list on the stock exchange, commemorated with. This moment highlights Xiaomi’s evolution from a bargain-basement smartphone brand to a global consumer electronics powerhouse.
Lei began steering the company’s vehicle ambitions in 2021, announcing a $10 billion investment plan aimed at developing and launching electric vehicles. The strategy took its first major step forward in March 2024, when Xiaomi unveiled its SU7 EV—branded around performance and cutting-edge smart features. Initial interest has been strong, with over 100,000 pre-orders reported during its debut window. The move into EVs represents Lei’s ambition to replicate Xiaomi’s hardware success across a broader consumer tech landscape.
Beyond gadgets and cars, Lei has also made waves as a philanthropist. By 2023, he had donated more than ¥1.3 billion back to Wuhan University and other causes—making one of the largest individual contributions by any Chinese tech titan. Lei’s charitable efforts seem to reflect Xiaomi’s philosophy of balancing commercial success with societal impact.
At 67, Lei Jun remains deeply hands-on, steering Xiaomi through fierce global competition and navigating geopolitical headwinds. Whether by launching luxury smartphones, expanding into smart EVs, or giving back to education, Lei continues to reshape how Chinese tech leaders innovate—and more importantly, how they give back.
