Xiaomi founder: how Lei Jun built an empire of smart devices

From programmer to billionaire: a brief background

Xiaomi is now associated with affordable smartphones, smart gadgets, and innovative home solutions, but few know that its founder, Lei Jun, began his career as a humble programmer in the 1990s, when China was just entering the digital age, and his journey from a layman to one of Asia’s most powerful entrepreneurs is a story of ambition, risk and unique business vision.

Lei Jun was born on December 16, 1969, in Hubei Province, to a financially impaired family, and in high school he developed a talent for mathematics and programming, and in 1991 he graduated from Wuhan University with a degree in computer science, and took his first steps in IT at Kingsoft, where he went from engineer to CEO in 16 years, and gained invaluable management experience and learned how to combine technological innovation with marketing.

But the real turning point came in 2010, when Lei Jun and seven partners founded Xiaomi, when he was 40 years old, an age at which many people no longer risk starting from scratch, but it was a starting point for one of the fastest growing technology companies in the world.

2010: The birth of Xiaomi and the first revolution

Xiaomi’s official founding date is April 6, 2010, and the company was incorporated in Beijing with a seed capital of just a few years. $$10 million is a modest amount by standards. IT-Lei Jun and his team set an ambitious goal: to create premium-quality smartphones at an affordable price using direct sales over the Internet.

The first product, the Xiaomi Mi 1, was released in August 2011, and it was a sensation when it launched a device with Qualcomm’s top-end Snapdragon S3 processor and MIUI (the Android-based firmware) that cost just $300, half the price of Samsung or Apple. 300,000 units were sold in the first 34 hours, proving the strategy to be correct.

The key principles laid down by Lei Jun from the beginning:

• 🔹 Direct sales – without intermediaries and margins of retail chains.
• 🔹 Feedback from users — MIUI Developed on the basis of community proposals.
• 🔹 The ecosystem of devices is not only smartphones, but also smart watches, routers, TVs.
• 🔹 Minimalist design – functionality above exterior gloss.

⚠️ Attention: Many people mistakenly believe that Xiaomi is copying Apple products, in fact Lei Jun openly stated that he was inspired by the Steve Jobs business model, but never aimed at cloning devices. The company’s strategy has always been focused on combining high technologies with affordable prices.

Lei Jun vs. Steve Jobs: What is the difference?

Lei Jun’s comparisons with Steve Jobs came almost immediately after the success of the Xiaomi Mi 1. Both entrepreneurs built companies that changed the industry, but their approaches differed fundamentally.

Lei Jun made no secret of learning from Apple, but his main difference was his focus on accessibility. If Jobs was creating products for the elite, Jun wanted technology to be accessible to everyone. For example, the Redmi Note 4 (2017) cost less than $150, but was equipped with a Snapdragon 625 processor and a 4100 mAh battery — specs that competitors offered for $ 300-400.

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If you’re looking for Xiaomi’s first smartphone, look for the Mi 1 or Mi 2 — they can be found on the secondary market as collectible devices.

Key milestones of Xiaomi under the leadership of Lei Jun

In 13 years, Xiaomi has gone from a startup to a global brand.

1. 2011 – Mi 1 release and start selling online.
2. 2013 – Entering the international market (India, Singapore).
3. 2014 – Xiaomi becomes China’s most expensive startup ($45 billion valuation)
4. 2016 – The debut of smart devices for the home (Mi Air Purifier, Mi Robot Vacuum).
5. 2018 – IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange ($ 54 billion capitalization).
6. 2020 The year – Xiaomi is in the top-3 Smartphone manufacturers in the world (according to Canalys).
7. 2023 – launch of the Xiaomi SU7 electric car and entry into the car market.

Especially in 2018, when the company conducted one of the largest IPOs in Asia, Lei Jun said at the time, “We don’t just sell devices, we build an ecosystem where every gadget works together.” This strategy allowed Xiaomi to diversify revenues: while in 2015 90% of revenue came from smartphones, by 2023 the share of smart devices and IoT solutions has increased to 30%.

Lei Jun’s Business Philosophy: 3 Pillars of Success

Xiaomi’s success was no accident, and Lei Jun articulated three principles that underpin the company:

1. “Technology for All” Jun believed that innovation should not be the privilege of the rich: for example, the Redmi 9A (2020) smartphone cost less than $100, but supported 4G, had a 5,000mAh battery and a 13 MP camera – characteristics not available in this price segment from competitors.
2. Xiaomi’s approach is unique: it creates not just gadgets, but an entire environment where they interact. For example, the Mi Home smart home allows you to control lamps, sockets and cameras through one app. By 2026, the ecosystem includes more than 400 devices from 300 partners.
3. “Co-authors” Lei Jun calls fans of the brand “Mi Fans” and actively engages them in development, and many MIUI features (such as reading mode or control gestures) were offered by users on forums.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi faced a crisis in 2015, with smartphone sales falling 40 percent due to market oversupply and logistics errors. Lei Jun publicly acknowledged the blunders and restructured his strategy to focus on offline sales and international expansion. This case shows that even business geniuses are wrong – but the ability to adapt quickly saved the company.

Personal life and hobbies of the founder of Xiaomi

Despite his billionaire status (according to Forbes, Lei Jun is estimated to be worth $12.5 billion by 2026), he has a modest lifestyle, and in an interview he admitted that:

• 📚 Reading on. 2-3 Books a week – mostly biographies of successful entrepreneurs and management books.
• 🏃 He runs, he runs. 5-10 mile daily to maintain the shape.
• 🎮 He is fond of retro games - in his collection there are Nintendo and Sega consoles of the 1990s.
• 🚗 Not chasing luxury cars – his personal transport – Tesla Model S and Xiaomi SU7 (own-production).

Fun fact: Lei Jun is a fan of Japanese culture, has visited Kyoto many times, and Xiaomi offices have minimalist Japanese design elements, and has invested in several Japanese robotics startups.

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Lei Jun is one of the few CEOs who actively engages with users on social media, and his Weibo account, China’s Twitter equivalent, has more than 25 million followers, where he announces and answers questions.

Xiaomi’s Future: Electric Cars, AI and Global Expansion

In 2026, Xiaomi is facing new challenges, with Lei Jun announcing three key areas of growth:

1. In March 2026, the Xiaomi SU7, the company’s first electric car, was unveiled, with a 101 kWh battery, accelerates to 100 km/h in 2.78 seconds, and supports the Xiaomi Pilot, a project Jun calls “the most challenging of his career” and plans to invest $10 billion in the development of the automotive industry.
2. Xiaomi’s artificial intelligence is actively integrating AI into its devices, for example, Xiaomi 14 smartphones use a neural network to process photos, and the voice assistant Xiao AI is trained based on user requests.
3. If Xiaomi used to be strong in Asia, it is now targeting Europe and Latin America.In 2023, the company opened plants in India and Brazil to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturing.

Competition with Huawei, Oppo and Apple has escalated, and U.S. sanctions against Chinese technology could make it harder to access key components such as Qualcomm chips. Lei Jun says Xiaomi is preparing for this by developing its own processors (Surge series) and HyperOS operating system.

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FAQ: answers to popular questions about Lei Jun and Xiaomi