Lei Jun built his fortune through software leadership, entrepreneurship and investing before co-founding Xiaomi and becoming its chairman and chief executive. [1][2]
From Kingsoft and Joyo to Xiaomi
Lei joined Kingsoft in 1992 and rose through senior leadership before founding online retailer Joyo.com in 2000. Xiaomi's corporate biography also records his later angel investments in technology companies before he founded Xiaomi in 2010. [1]
Forbes describes Lei as bringing years of software-operating experience and prior investment success into Xiaomi, while the company raised outside venture capital as it expanded. Xiaomi later became a major global smartphone and consumer-electronics company under his leadership. [2][1]
The reviewed evidence ties Lei's billionaire wealth to operating roles, earlier entrepreneurial exits, investing and founder ownership in Xiaomi rather than to a documented inherited business. The sources do not deeply reconstruct his broader family financial background, so the primarily self-created classification is retained with medium confidence. [1][2]
Xiaomi's market capitalization and total business value are not Lei's personal net worth. His wealth depends on the shares and other investments attributable to him after outside financing and dilution, so the value of the entire company should remain separate from the economic value of his individual founder stake. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 15, 2026.
- Board of Directors · Xiaomi Corporation
- The Disruptor · Forbes · Dec 3, 2014
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