Residence Guangzhou, China Role Business person Alma mater UESTC Spouse Wang Xun Fang | Net worth 8.2 billion USD (2015) Name Ding Lei Organizations founded NetEase | |
Born October 1971 Ningbo, Zhejiang, China Education University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | ||
Occupation Founder & CEO, NetEase | ||
The business behind online gaming in China
Ding Lei (Chinese: 丁磊; pinyin: Dīng Lěi; born 1 October 1971), also known as William Ding, is the founder and CEO of 163.com (NetEase).
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Ding made significant contributions to the development of computer networks in mainland China. According to Forbes' China Rich List 2015 he is the 10th wealthiest person in China with an estimated fortune of $10.6 billion. In late 2016, Ding was looking into investing in the property sector, and travelled to Zimbabwe in December, and to the United Kingdom. Forbes ranked Ding as the wealthiest man in China in 2003. In 2017, Ding's fortune was estimated to be $17.2 billion, ranking at #52 on Forbes billionaires list.
Early life
Ding Lei was born in Fenghua, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He graduated from Chengdu College of Electronic Science and Technology (now University of Electronic Science and Technology of China) and obtained a bachelor's degree.
Ding has cited Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein as his heroes.
Career
After graduation he first worked in a local state department in Ningbo as an engineer, and then he went to Guangzhou and worked for Sybase there. He founded NetEase and became the richest individual in Chinese mainland in the year of 2003 (7.6 billion yuan). According to the Hurun Report 2013, his net worth is estimated to be $5.2 billion.
In 2012, it was confirmed that Ding branched NetEase's activities out into pork production. The pig farm is centered around technology and environmental sustainability, and is not meant to become a major arm of the company. The farm is part of Deng's promotion of organic farming, through which hopes to encourage farmers who left the countryside to work in factories to return, and re-route some of China's capital flows into rural areas.
In May 2017, venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures, US-based Meituan-Dianping, and Alibaba competitor JD invested a total of US$23 million into the farm.