Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (2024)

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Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (1)

  • Chinese companies like TikTok's parent ByteDance are coming under fire.
  • ByteDance's founder is the richest tech billionaire in China.
  • These are the 10 richest Chinese billionaires in tech, per Bloomberg's 2023 Billionaire Index.

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (2)

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Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (4)

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TikTok may soon be banned in the US over national security concerns.

A ban would be a blow to the company's bottom line: Used by more than 150 million users in the US, TikTok is expected to generate $8 billion in advertising revenue by 2024 from Americans alone, according to Insider Intelligence, and the company's US business, alone, could be worth between $40 and $50 billion, per Bloomberg.

In turn, Zhang Yiming, the CEO of TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance, may see his net worth — which sits at $42.3 billion as of April 14 — drop. He is one of many Chinese billionaires who got rich from starting successful tech giants.

These Chinese billionaires are also navigating policies in their own country. In 2020, the Chinese government began cracking down on tech companies with increased regulations. Since then, the Chinese Communist Party has launched initiatives like "Common Prosperity" that aim to redistribute wealth to the masses in a country where income inequality is high. Earlier this year, China reversed some of these policies in response to low GDP growth.

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From the CEO of ByteDance to the founder of WeChat, here are the 10 wealthiest Chinese tech billionaires.

All net worth figures are based on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of April 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Richard Liu: $9.5 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (5)

Richard Liu, the 50-year-old also known as Liu Qiangdong, is the founder of JD.com. The e-commerce giant has more than 569 million active users who buy products like clothes, home appliances, and books, according to Bloomberg.

Liu owns a 14.5% stake in JD.com, per Bloomberg, which has a market cap of about $67 billion, per Yahoo Finance. He is the single largest shareholder of the company as of 2022, the South China Morning Post reported.

Last year, Liu donated $2 billion to charities — though he didn't disclose which — as part of China's "common prosperity" campaign for wealth redistribution among tech giants, per SCMP.

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Robin Li: $9.76 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (6)

Robin Li, 54, is the cofounder and CEO of China's popular search engine Baidu.

Founded in 2000, Baidu's search engine now has roughly 622 million active users per month, Bloomberg reported. The company is also behind Baidu Encyclopedia, the largest crowdsourced Chinese-language encyclopedia in the world.

The majority of Li's wealth comes from his 20% stake in Baidu, per Bloomberg, which has a market cap of $46 billion, per Yahoo Finance.

In 2018, Li, his wife Melissa Ma, and Baidu together donated $104 million to Peking University, the South China Morning Post reported. The university used its donations to set up a fund to support research in Baidu's AI technology. Five years later, Baidu is now developing an AI chatbot rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

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Gong Hongjia: $11.6 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (7)

Serial entrepreneur Gong Hongjia, also known as Kung Hung Ka, is the cofounder of Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, which supplies surveillance products, according to Bloomberg.

Hongjia, 58, is also the founder of mobile internet company Funinhand, radio manufacturer Tescun, and security firm Watchdata Technologies, according to Bloomberg.

Most of the billionaire's fortune comes from Hikvision. He is the company's biggest individual shareholder with 18% of the company, per Forbes, which has a market cap of about $60 billion, per Yahoo Finance.

Known as China's best angel investor, Hongjia has poured money into at least 15 tech companies as of 2019, according to the South China Morning Post. He donated $1.5 million to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, where he studied, to create a seed fund, per SCMP.

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Lei Jun: $11.7 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (8)

Lei Jun is known as "China's Steve Jobs," according to the South China Morning Post.

Jun, 53, is the founder and chairman of Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics conglomerate dubbed "China's Apple" for bringing a cheaper smartphone to Chinese customers. As of 2022, Xiaomi was the third best-selling smartphone brand in the world, according to Forbes.

Jun has a 24% stake in the company, according to Bloomberg, which has a market cap of around $39 billion, per Yahoo Finance.

On a single day in 2021, his net worth fell by more than $2 billion after he donated 616 million of his shares to two charities, per Bloomberg.

Jun also owns 9% of JOYY, an entertainment and social media platform with a $2.1 billion market cap, and 13% of Kingsoft, a gaming and security software with a $2 billion market cap, per Bloomberg.

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Zhang Zhidong: $16.3 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (9)

Zhang Zhidong, also known as Tony Zhang, made his fortune as the cofounder of Tencent, where he owns a 3.4% stake, according to Bloomberg.

The 51-year-old tech whiz helped start the Chinese internet giant with Ma Huateng in 1998 after they met as students at Shenzen University. Under his leadership, Tencent launched WeChat, one of the most widely used instant messaging app in China, according toThe Guardian.

Zhidong stepped down from his role in 2014 "due to personal reasons," Forbes reported. He is now the president of Tencent Academy where he trains the company's staff as a lecturer, per Forbes.

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Colin Huang: $24.2 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (10)

Colin Huang is the founder and former CEO of PDD Holdings, the company behind Pinduoduo, a widely used Chinese e-commerce platform that sells products ranging from cosmetics to fresh produce to 733.4 million active users each month, Bloomberg reported.

Huang, who is 43 years old, became a billionaire in less than three and a half years thanks to his stake in Pinduoduo, which Bloomberg pegs at 28%.

In 2020, Huang gave away $1.85 billion of his fortune to charities, according to the South China Morning Post. A year later, his Starry Night Foundation pledged $100 million to Zhejiang University to support its research in medical sciences and food systems, per Bloomberg.

He stepped down as chairman of his company in March 2021 to focus on his personal interest in biotech research, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Nearly two years later, Huang lost $3.1 billion worth of shares in one day after investors disagreed with the company's pledge to spend $1 billion to subsidize its offerings, Forbes reported.

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William Ding: $27.9 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (11)

William Ding is the CEO of NetEase, a Chinese internet services provider that helped bring popular games like "World of Warcraft," "Overwatch," and "Westward Journey" to Chinese locals, per Bloomberg.

The 51-year-old businessman is also known for bringing Marvel comic books like "Captain American" and "Iron Man" from the US to China, according to the South China Morning Post.

Ding's wealth is largely thanks to his 44% stake in NetEase, per Bloomberg, which has a market cap of $59 billion, per Yahoo Finance.

In 2020, Ding reportedly purchased one of Elon Musk's homes in Los Angeles for $29 million.

Last year, Ding stepped down from multiple leadership roles at Beijing NetEase Media Co, a subsidiary of NetEase, in response to China's crackdown on its tech industry, SCMP reported.

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Jack Ma: $34 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (12)

Jack Ma is the cofounder and former CEO of Alibaba, China's e-commerce giant known as the "Amazon of China."

The 58-year-old's fortune is linked to his 3.9% stake in Alibaba — which has a market cap of $245 billion— as well as his stake in Alibaba's affiliate company Ant Group, an online payment service, according to Bloomberg. He also has stakes in Chinese entertainment companies like Beijing Enlight Media and Huayi Brothers, according to Forbes.

Despite Ma's celebrity status in China, friends of his have said he doesn't flaunt his wealth with large purchases.

In 2019, Ma stepped down from Alibaba's board to focus full time on philanthropy through the Jack Ma Foundation, Forbes reported. A year later,Ma donated close to $500 million to efforts like flood relief, the South China Morning Post reported.

In 2021, Alibaba pledged to donate $15.5 billion to support China's "common prosperity" initiative, Fortune reported.

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Ma Huateng: $40.3 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (13)

Ma Huateng — who also goes by Pony Ma — is the cofounder and CEO of Tencent, the Chinese tech conglomerate behind the popular mobile messaging app WeChat. The app is used by around 1.3 billion monthly active users to talk to friends, send money, and order taxis, according to Bloomberg.

Huateng, 51, fortune is largely made up of his 7.4% stake in Tencent, per Bloomberg, which has a market cap of $439 billion, per Yahoo Finance.

Tencent also owns 30% of WeBank, China's first digital-only private bank, and Chinese game developers like TiMi Studio Group, which is behind popular internet games like "Honor of Kings."

In 2021, in response to China's regulatory crackdown, Tencent pledged to spend $15 billion as part of its wealth redistribution efforts — one of the largest charitable donations by a Chinese tech giant, Bloomberg reported.

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Zhang Yiming: $42.3 billion

Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (14)

Zhang Yiming, 40, is the founder and former CEO of ByteDance, the parent company behind the social media platform TikTok. ByteDance also owns FlipChat, a WeChat competitor; Duoshan, a video-messaging app; and Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Yiming's wealth is linked to his stake in ByteDance. The company was valued at $220 billion and made $80 billion in revenue as of 2022, according to Bloomberg. TikTok's US business alone may be worth between $40 and $50 billion as of March this year, per Bloomberg.

In 2021, Yiming donated $1.85 billion to create an education fund called "Fang Mei" based in his home town of Longyan, according to the South China Morning Post. The donation came in response to China's crackdown on its tech industry, per SCMP.

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China Tech Billionaires

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Meet China's 10 richest tech billionaires, from the CEO of ByteDance to the 'Steve Jobs of China' (2024)

FAQs

Who is the top 10 richest man in China? ›

Here are the top 10 richest men in China in 2024 according to Forbes Magazine.
  1. Zhong Shanshan - $62.8 billion. ...
  2. Zhang Yiming - $43.4 billion. ...
  3. Colin Huang - $38.9 billion. ...
  4. William Ding - $33.5 billion. ...
  5. Ma Huateng - $30.2 billion. ...
  6. He Xiangjian - $25.1 billion. ...
  7. Jack Ma - $24.5 billion. ...
  8. Eric Li - $16.8 billion.
Aug 19, 2024

How many billionaires are there in China vs us? ›

Top 20 billionaire countries 2024

According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2024, China housed the highest number of billionaires worldwide in 2024. In detail, there were 814 billionaires living in China as of January that year. By comparison, 800 billionaires resided in the United States.

Who is the richest tech billionaires? ›

As of January 2024, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X (previously known as Twitter), was the richest person in the global tech industry with an estimated net worth of 217 billion U.S. dollars. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, followed with a net worth of 180 billion U.S. dollars.

Who is the richest girl in China? ›

Kwong Siu Hing, 94, topped the Hurun Richest Women in China 2023 for the first time with US$9.9bn, up 2 places. Kwong was among the Top 50 of the HENGCHANGSHAOFANG·Hurun China Rich List 2023. Wu Yajun, 59, maintained 2nd place with US$9.2bn.

How many trillionaires are there in the world? ›

Are there any trillionaires in the world? At this time, there are currently no trillionaires in the world.

Who is more rich China or USA? ›

List of the World's Richest Countries in 2022: A Quick Look at the Top 10 Wealthiest Countries
CountryEconomy
United States$25.347 trillion
China$19.91 trillion
Japan$5.396 trillion
Germany$4.55 trillion
6 more rows

Which country do most billionaires live in? ›

Top 10 countries with the most billionaires, as of 2024:
RankCountryNo. of Billionaires
1United States of America813
2China406
3India200
4Germany132
6 more rows
Aug 5, 2024

Where do most billionaires live in China? ›

Shenzhen, a city in southeastern China, is one of the billionaire capitals of the world. The city is home to some of China's wealthiest people, many of whom founded massive tech companies. But there's also a dark side: Most residents cannot afford to buy a house in Shenzhen.

Who is the CEO of trillionaire? ›

Elon Musk's sprawling empire — spanning everything from electric vehicles and social media to space rockets and miniature brain implants — may soon make him the world's first trillionaire. Musk's business success has made him one of the most influential — and controversial — people in the world.

Who is the 24 year old tech billionaire? ›

Alexandr Wang (born January 19, 1997) is the American founder and CEO of Scale AI, a data annotation platform that provides training data for machine learning models. At age 24, he became the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. According to Forbes, he is currently worth $2 billion, as of July 2024.

Who is the closest to becoming a trillionaire? ›

Musk is "the clear favorite to become the first trillionaire by 2027," according to a financial report from Informa Connect. This is largely because Musk's net worth is "growing at an average rate of 109.88% every year."

Which state has the most billionaires? ›

California

Who has more billionaires China or America? ›

Hurun Global Rich List
RankCountry/TerritoryNumber of billionaires
1China814
2United States800
3India271
4United Kingdom146
26 more rows

Which city has the most billionaires in the world? ›

World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2024
RankCityCountry
1San Francisco (including Bay Area)United States
2New York CityUnited States
3Los AngelesUnited States
4BeijingChina
6 more rows

Who is the richest between China and us? ›

Answer: China is the world's most prosperous country. It just surpassed the United States as the world's most prosperous country. Answer: China, the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Sweden are the world's wealthiest countries, according to McKinsey & Co.

Who is the king of wealth in China? ›

Caishen, also Cáishén, Ts'ai Shen, or Cai Boxing Jun, is the Chinese god of money and wealth. He is worshipped in China by followers of both Taoism and Chinese folk religions.

Who is the richest man in the US? ›

10 Richest Persons In America in 2023
RANKNAMENET WORTH
1Elon Musk$258.2 B
2Jeff Bezos$216.3 B
4Mark Zuckerberg$187.3 B
5Larry Ellison$176.8 B
5 more rows
Jul 11, 2024

Who is the top 10 richest man in Asia? ›

The Top 10 Richest People in Asia
Rank & NameNet Worth (in USD Billions)Country
#1 Mukesh Ambani117.9India
#2 Gautam Adani84.4India
#3 Prajogo Pangestu53.7Indonesia
#4 Tadashi Yanai and Family47.1Japan
6 more rows
1 day ago

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