Xiaomi is one of the most recognizable brands in the electronics world, but few know how the company came into being and who was behind it. Today, millions of users around the world use smartphones, smartwatches, routers and other Mi-logos, but in 2010 it started with a small team of enthusiasts in Beijing, and this article will not only tell you who founded Xiaomi, but how the modest startup in a few years has grown into a multi-billion dollar corporation competing with Apple and Samsung.
If you've ever wondered why Xiaomi's products became so popular so quickly, or how the company managed to combine high technology with affordable prices, the answer lies in the biography of its founder, Lei Jun. His story is not just a story about business success, but an example of how one idea can change the entire industry. But was Lei Jun the sole founder? Who else was at the origins of the brand? And why does the company's name translate as "meet"?
Lei Jun: Xiaomi’s Founder and His Way to Success
Lei Jun is inextricably linked to Xiaomi, born in Hubei Province in 1969, and has been a computer and computer science major since childhood, and in 1992, Lei graduated from Wuhan University with a degree in computer science, before starting a career at Kingsoft, one of China’s first software developers, and after 6 years, he became CEO, and 10 years later, he led the company to the stock exchange.
But Lei Jun came to prominence after leaving Kingsoft in 2007, investing in several startups, including UCWeb (the developer of the UC Browser browser) and YY (a social platform), which earned him a reputation as one of China's most successful angel investors, but his main dream was to create his own technology company that could compete with global giants, and Xiaomi was born in 2010.
- 🎓 Education: Wuhan University, specialty "Computer Sciences" (1992).
- 💼 Career to Xiaomi: CEO Kingsoft (1998–2007), investor in UCWeb, YY, Vancl.
- 💡 Xiaomi Idea: Create a “Chinese Apple” with affordable prices and an ecosystem of devices.
- 📈 Achievements: Included in top-100 The richest people in China according to Forbes.
Fun fact: Lei Jun is often compared to Steve Jobs not only because of his ambitious goals, but also because of his presentation style. He is personally involved in the launch of Xiaomi products, dressing in jeans and a black turtleneck, just like the founder of Apple did. However, unlike Jobs, Lei Jun has been betting on openness and feedback from the very beginning, which has become one of the key features of the brand.
Who else stood at the origins of Xiaomi: the team of co-founders
Although Lei Jun is the face of the company, Xiaomi was not founded alone, and in 2010, 7 co-founders joined him, each of whom contributed to the brand, among them:
- 🔧 Lin Bin, the company's president, formerly vice president of Google China and Microsoft, was responsible for software development, including software development. MIUI.
- 📱 Li Wanqiang is a hardware expert who previously worked at Motorola and Kingsoft.
- 💰 Liu De is a CFO who previously invested in Qualcomm and Microsoft.
- 🌐 Hong Feng is a CTO, cloud specialist, previously worked at Google.
This team became the dream of any startup company: it included experts from Google, Microsoft, Motorola and Qualcomm, who combined their experience in global corporations with the Chinese market. For example, Lin Bin, after 10 years at Microsoft, realized that the future was mobile, and decided to create an alternative to iOS and Android, the MIUI shell, which became the hallmark of Xiaomi.
Importantly, all of the co-founders were not just techies, but investors, who invested their own money in the company early on, allowing Xiaomi to quickly gain momentum without attracting external credit, an approach that was a key success factor in maintaining the company’s independence and flexibility in decision-making.
Why Xiaomi was called the 7 Samurai
What is the name Xiaomi and what does it mean?
Many people think that Xiaomi translates to "little millet" -- and that's true! But why did the founders choose this particular symbol?
- 🌱 Modesty and accessibility – millet was a staple of the poor, reflecting the company’s philosophy of making high-tech devices at low prices.
- 🔥 Energy and vitality – in China, millet symbolizes perseverance and the ability to germinate even in difficult conditions (like startup Xiaomi in 2010).
- 📱 The letter “Mi” is also used in the word “mobile”, which emphasized the company’s focus on smartphones.
Lei Jun later admitted that the name was also chosen because of its simplicity of pronunciation in different languages, such as the English word for “Xiaomi,” which is easy to remember, and that the company’s logo — an orange square with a white “mi” — was designed to be recognizable and minimalist, like the brand’s products.
Interestingly, in the early years of the company, many people mistakenly thought that Xiaomi was a Chinese clone of Apple because of the similar design of smartphones and even the logo (the inverted letter “mi” resembled the icon Beats Audio, which was used in Apple products).
Xiaomi’s First Steps: How Did It All Start?
Xiaomi’s official founding date is April 6, 2010, when Xiaomi Tech was incorporated in Beijing, but the first product didn’t come immediately, but instead the MIUI, a custom shell for Android that could be installed on other brands, was introduced in August 2010 and quickly gained popularity thanks to:
- ⚡ High performance even on weak devices.
- 🎨 Unique design inspired by iOS, but with Chinese features.
- 🤝 Active community – users can offer ideas for improvements.
Success. MIUI showed that Xiaomi has an audience, and in August 2011, the company released its first smartphone – Xiaomi Mi 1. His presentation was a sensation: a device with a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon processor S3 1 GB of RAM cost only 1999 yuan (~$300), which is 2 times cheaper than the flagships of competitors. The first batch of 300,000 pieces was sold out in 34 seconds!
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Xiaomi’s first smartphones were sold online through mi.com, which allowed the company to save on retailers and offer lower prices.
But things weren’t going well. In 2012, Xiaomi faced its first scandal, when it was accused of copying the design of the iPhone and even stealing user data through MIUI. Lei Jun publicly denied the allegations, saying the company followed the “inspired, not copied” principle, which led Xiaomi to pay more attention to branding and patent protection, which later helped avoid lawsuits from Apple and Samsung.
Xiaomi’s Evolution: From Startup to Global Brand
Following the success of the Mi 1, the company began to expand, and key milestones in its development were:
| Year | Event | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Xiaomi Mi 1 release | The first smartphone sold out in 34 seconds. |
| 2013 | Launch of Redmi (a series of budget smartphones) | It allowed us to capture the mass market in China and India. |
| 2014 | Entering international markets (India, Indonesia) | The beginning of global expansion outside of China. |
| 2016 | The first smart TV Mi TV | Expanding the ecosystem beyond smartphones. |
| 2018 | IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ($54 billion) | One of the largest technological placements in Asia. |
Especially important was 2014, when Xiaomi entered India — today its largest overseas market — the strategy was simple: offer flagship-specific smartphones at a budget price, like the 2017 Redmi Note 4 with a Snapdragon 625 processor and 4,100 mAh battery cost just ~$150, making it a bestseller.
By 2020, Xiaomi was not just a smartphone manufacturer, but a full-fledged ecosystem of smart devices.
- 📺 Mi TV — Android TVs TV.
- 🕒 Mi Band – fitness bracelets, which became market leaders.
- 💡 Yeelight - Smart Lighting.
- 🚿 Mi Air Purifier - Air Purifier.
Today Xiaomi is in the top-3 smartphone manufacturers in the world (along with Samsung and Apple) and continues to expand the range. 2021 The company introduced its first electric car – Xiaomi SU7, This was a new stage in its development.
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The secret of Xiaomi’s success is the combination of high technology, aggressive pricing and an ecosystem of devices that complement each other.
Myths and Truths About Xiaomi Founders
There are many rumors surrounding Xiaomi and its founders, and we will examine the most popular ones:
⚠️ Attention: Lei Jun has never worked at Apple or Samsung, and has often been inspired by these brands, but his career has involved Kingsoft, UCWeb and his own startups.
Myth 1: “Xiaomi is a Chinese clone of Apple.”
✅ The design of the first Xiaomi smartphones really resembled the iPhone, but the company quickly developed its own style. MIUI It's very different from iOS.
Myth 2: “Lei Jun copied Apple’s business model.”
✅ Truth: Lei Jun did adopt some elements (like Jobs-style presentations), but Xiaomi’s key difference is its openness to users (weekly updates). MIUI community feedback) and low prices.
Myth 3: “Xiaomi sells devices at a loss.”
✅ The company really holds a small margin on hardware (1-5%), but earns on the hardware MIUI (Advertising, services, accessories and ecosystems, for example, in 2022, 30 percent of revenue came from smart devices and IoT.
Myth 4: “All the co-founders left the company.”
✅ Truth: Most of the co-founders still work for Xiaomi, although some (like Lin Bin) have moved to adviser positions.