Top 10 China's Most Influential Tech Entrepreneurs in 2025

We evaluated a longlist of China’s tech entrepreneurs using a weighted framework across six dimensions: market leadership, technological innovation, influence and agenda-setting, global competitiveness, strategic foresight, and social value & sustainability.

Scores were used to determine inclusion in the final Top 10, rather than to assign exact ranks. Given the cross-sector nature of “influence” and the difficulty of directly comparing leaders across industries, this list is unranked and presented in alphabetical order.

Each selected entrepreneur is supported by at least two independent, verifiable sources (e.g., company disclosures, major business media reports, or recognized international lists).

The Unranked Top 10 (Alphabetical by family name)

1、Ding Lei — NetEase | Founder; CEO Tags: Digital content • Gaming • Internet services

Ding Lei built NetEase into one of China’s most enduring internet companies, with a long track record in interactive entertainment and consumer-facing digital services. His influence comes from operating at scale through multiple platform cycles—when user attention shifts, monetization models evolve, and regulation tightens. Beyond products, NetEase’s ecosystem plays a steady role in China’s digital culture and online-service infrastructure, making Ding a consistent agenda-setter in the consumer internet.

Proof points

• Sustained platform-scale operations across major consumer cycles
• Strong execution in digital content and online services
• Durable ecosystem influence in China’s internet economy

2、Lei Jun — Xiaomi | Founder; Chairman & CEO Tags: Consumer tech • IoT • EV

Lei Jun turned Xiaomi from a smartphone brand into a broader consumer-tech platform spanning hardware, software, and a large IoT ecosystem. In recent years, Xiaomi’s expansion into new growth curves has positioned the company at the intersection of devices, connectivity, and next-generation mobility. Lei’s influence is not only commercial; it also reflects Xiaomi’s role as a blueprint for “hardware-to-platform” scaling, supply-chain execution, and global-facing consumer technology.

Proof points

• Large multi-device ecosystem with strong user reach
• Expansion beyond phones into new strategic product lines
• Recognizable “hardware + ecosystem” playbook influence

3、Robin Li — Baidu | Co-founder; Chairman & CEO Tags: AI • Autonomous driving • Search/Cloud

Robin Li has steered Baidu through multiple eras—from search and advertising to cloud and, increasingly, AI-first strategy and autonomous driving initiatives. As one of China’s most visible long-term technology leaders, his impact lies in translating frontier research into large-scale products and infrastructure. Baidu’s positioning in AI and mobility, alongside its role in enterprise services, makes Li a key figure in how China’s tech industry narrates its next platform shift.

Proof points

• Long-term leadership in internet-scale AI and services
• Major bets on AI and autonomous driving commercialization
• Significant influence in China’s tech strategy narrative

4、Liang Wenfeng — DeepSeek | Founder/Leader (publicly recognized) Tags: Foundation models • AI infrastructure • Developer ecosystem

Liang Wenfeng represents a newer generation of AI entrepreneurs shaping China’s foundation-model landscape. DeepSeek has drawn outsized attention for its model work and for pushing “efficiency-first” thinking—how to build strong AI systems under real-world compute and deployment constraints. Liang’s influence is amplified by how quickly the lab entered mainstream discussion among developers, investors, and industry observers, making him a key symbol of China’s fast-evolving AI competition.

Proof points

• Strong visibility in the foundation-model conversation
• Emphasis on deployable, efficiency-oriented AI systems
• Rapid recognition across developer and industry communities

5、Richard Liu — JD.com | Founder; Chairman Tags: Logistics • Supply-chain tech • E-commerce infrastructure

Richard Liu built JD.com around a core belief that logistics is a technology moat. Over time, JD has become a large-scale supply-chain and fulfillment network—an “infrastructure layer” that supports retail, brand operations, and increasingly enterprise services. Liu’s influence stems from treating operations and delivery capability as a strategic technology asset, shaping expectations for speed, reliability, and cost efficiency across China’s consumer economy and commercial distribution networks.

Proof points

• Logistics and fulfillment as a defensible technology moat
• Large-scale supply-chain infrastructure impact
• Operational model influence across China’s commerce ecosystem

6、Pony Ma — Tencent | Co-founder; Chairman & CEO Tags: Social platforms • Digital services • Cloud/AI

Pony Ma leads one of China’s most structurally important platform companies, with products that sit at the center of everyday digital life and a broad portfolio across games, fintech-related services, and enterprise technology. His influence is often indirect but massive: Tencent’s platform choices shape ecosystems, developer economics, and consumer behavior at scale. As AI and cloud services become more central to industrial digitalization, Tencent’s infrastructure role further strengthens Ma’s strategic weight.

Proof points

• Platform-level influence through ubiquitous consumer services
• Ecosystem impact on developers, content, and distribution
• Expanding role in enterprise digital infrastructure (cloud/AI)

7、Ren Zhengfei — Huawei | Founder Tags: ICT • Telecom infrastructure • Chips/Enterprise

Ren Zhengfei is widely viewed as one of the most consequential industrial-tech leaders in modern China. Huawei’s footprint spans telecom infrastructure, enterprise ICT, and advanced R&D-heavy domains, making the company a core node in global technology competition. Ren’s influence lies in a long-term, systems-level approach: investing in engineering depth, scaling global infrastructure, and sustaining innovation under pressure. Few entrepreneurs have shaped China’s “hard tech” narrative as directly as Ren.

Proof points

• Deep industrial footprint in telecom and enterprise ICT
• Engineering-led strategy and sustained R&D orientation
• Symbolic and practical influence on China’s “hard tech” agenda

8、Wang Chuanfu — BYD | Chairman & President Tags: EVs • Batteries • Clean energy

Wang Chuanfu is a defining figure in China’s new-energy transformation. BYD’s vertically integrated model—spanning vehicles, batteries, and key components—has helped push down costs while scaling production, making it a major force in global EV competition. Wang’s influence extends beyond a single company: BYD’s manufacturing cadence, product expansion, and overseas ambitions contribute to how the world interprets China’s industrial competitiveness in electrification and clean mobility.

Proof points

• Vertical integration across EV and battery value chains
• Manufacturing scale and cost-down execution capability
• Growing relevance in global EV competition and expansion

9、Zeng Yuqun — CATL | Chairman of the Board Tags: Power batteries • Energy storage • EV supply chain

Robin Zeng leads a company that sits at the heart of the electrification supply chain. CATL’s scale and partnerships make it a critical player not only for EV makers but also for the broader energy-storage transition. Zeng’s influence comes from shaping the technical and commercial direction of batteries—where chemistry choices, manufacturing learning curves, and safety standards determine competitiveness. As the world accelerates electrification, CATL’s position makes Zeng a global strategic figure.

Proof points

• Central role in EV battery and storage supply chains
• Influence on technology direction via scale and partnerships
• Strategic importance to global electrification momentum

10、Zhang Yiming— ByteDance | Founder Tags: Content platforms • AI-driven distribution • Global products

Zhang Yiming created one of the most globally impactful consumer internet companies of the past decade. ByteDance’s products demonstrated how AI-driven distribution can reshape media, advertising, and creator ecosystems at scale—across borders. Zhang’s influence lies in how his company’s recommendation-engine paradigm changed the rules of attention economics, as well as how global governance debates increasingly intersect with platform design, data, and algorithmic power.

Proof points

• Global-scale consumer platform impact and reach
• Algorithmic distribution model reshaping media economics
• Ongoing relevance to cross-border platform governance debates