Who created Xiaomi: from startup to global tech empire

When you pick up a Xiaomi smartphone, you rarely think about how the company came into being, and yet the brand’s story is one of ambition, risk and revolutionary ideas that have revolutionized the global electronics market. Xiaomi is now the top smartphone, smart device and accessories maker, but few know that it started with eight co-founders and a modest office in Beijing.

The company's main driving force was Lei Jun, a man often referred to as "China's Steve Jobs." His vision of technology, business strategy, and ability to inspire the team have allowed Xiaomi to grow from a niche startup to a global player in a few years. But who else was at the origins of the brand? What were the principles that formed the company? And how did a small firm manage to outperform giants like Samsung and Apple in its home market in China? In this article, we'll take everything from the first steps to the latest achievements.

Lei Jun: architect of Xiaomi’s success

When it comes to who created Xiaomi, it’s impossible to ignore the figure of Lei Jun, who was born in Hubei Province in 1969 and has a childhood interest in engineering and programming, and in 1992, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University, and a few years later became one of the key engineers at Kingsoft, a Chinese software company.

By 2010, Lei Jun was not just a successful entrepreneur, but a legend in China. IT-He founded Joyo.com (later sold to Amazon for the first time). $75 million people, invested in dozens of startups, and even made it to Forbes' list of China's richest people, but his real dream was to create a company that would combine high technology with affordable prices.

• 🎓 Education: Wuhan University, specialty "Computer Science" (1992)
• 💼 Career to Xiaomi: Co-founder of Kingsoft, CEO Joyo.com (sold to Amazon)
• 💰 Invested in more than 20 startups, including UCWeb and Vancl
• 🏆 Confession: Ranked top-10 The richest people in China (Forbes, 2014)

Interesting fact: Xiaomi's name translates to "silver" -- a grain crop that symbolizes modesty and accessibility in China -- Lei Jun wanted his company to be associated with simple, but quality things that anyone could afford, a principle that became the basis of the brand's business model: selling devices at cost, making money from the ecosystem and services.

Seven Co-Founders: A Dream Team

Although Lei Jun was the face of the company, Xiaomi was created by eight people, each of whom made a unique contribution to the brand, and here are the key figures without whom the company's history would be different:

A special place in the team is occupied by Lin Bin, a man who came to Xiaomi from Google, where he led the Chinese division, and he convinced Lei Jun to focus on developing his own shell. MIUI, And it's a brand name, and it's interesting that the first versions are the first ones. MIUI It was built on Android, but with a level of customization that no other manufacturer had.

The co-founding team is still at the company, which is rare for tech giants, such as Li Wangqiang in charge of software development, and Zhang Guangping oversees hardware, a continuity that has allowed Xiaomi to maintain a unified vision and quickly adapt to market changes.

⚠️ Attention: Many people mistakenly think that Xiaomi is exclusively Lei Jun. In fact, the success of the company is based on teamwork. MIUI, Zhang Guangping – the first Mi 1 and Mi 2 smartphones.

Previous Previous post: How Xiaomi Conquered China

Xiaomi’s official founding date is April 6, 2010, but the real breakthrough came in 2011 when it launched its first smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 1, which was billed as the “flagship for the price of the average budget” and instantly became a hit.

The key features of the Mi 1 that ensured success are:

• 📱 Features: Qualcomm Snapdragon processor S3 (1.5 GHz), 1 GB of RAM, 4-inch display
• 💰 Price: 1999 yuan (~$315) – 2 times cheaper than competitors with similar parameters
• 🛠️ MIUI: Unique shell with weekly updates and feedback from users
• 📦 Sales model: Online only (via mi.com), no retail markups

But the real revolution was marketing strategy, with Xiaomi abandoning traditional advertising, betting on word of mouth and a community of fans (Mi Fans). The company held closed presentations for enthusiasts, collected real-time feedback and even allowed users to vote on new features. MIUI. This approach created a cult status around the brand.

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The strategy of “flagship characteristics at an average price” has become the corporate style of Xiaomi and forced competitors to revise the pricing policy.

By 2013, Xiaomi had already held 5% of the Chinese smartphone market, overtaking the Chinese market. HTC And in 2014, the company went international, selling in India, Indonesia and Russia, and it didn't spend money on global advertising, it was promoted by its users.

Brand philosophy: why Xiaomi is not like others

If you ask Lei Jun what the secret of Xiaomi’s success is, he’ll say, “We don’t sell hardware, we sell emotions and experiences.” This phrase reflects a key principle of the company: technology should be accessible, but it should bring joy to the user.

The main pillars of the brand philosophy:

1. "The Three Iron Principles by Lei Jun: 🔹 Quality: Use the best components (e.g. Qualcomm processors and Sony cameras) 🔹 Price: Sell at cost, earning on services (cloud, games, advertising in the Internet) MIUI) 🔹 Speed: Quick software updates (MIUI Gets patches weekly)

Model Trio:

Mi Home

Users as co-developers:

Mi Fans

When Xiaomi released its first fitness bracelet, the Mi Band, in 2014, its price was high. $13 was 5-10 times lower than the competition, and it had all the key functions of a pedometer, sleep monitoring and notifications, an approach that became the brand’s trademark.

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If you see a Xiaomi gadget with the inscription “For Fans” – it means that the device was created with the direct wishes of the Mi Fans community.

Another unique feature is transparency, because Xiaomi is one of the few companies that openly publishes the cost of their devices, for example, after the presentation of the Mi 11 Ultra in 2021, Lei Jun showed a slide with the price calculation, proving that the brand does not profit from users.

Key milestones: how Xiaomi became global

Over the 14 years of its existence, Xiaomi has gone from a startup to a company with a turnover of more than one. $50 billion Here are the major events that shaped her story:

One of the boldest moves was to enter India in 2014, when Xiaomi entered into an exclusive partnership with Flipkart and began selling Redmi. 1S priced ~$100. In the first 4 seconds, 40,000 units were sold, a record for the Indian market, and India remains a key market for the brand, with more than 20 units in its market share%.

Xiaomi officially appeared in Russia in 2015, cooperating with the Messenger and M.Video. A feature of the Russian strategy was the active promotion of smart devices: robot vacuum cleaners Mi Robot, electric scooters Mi Electric Scooter and the system "Smart home".

Secrets of production: where and how to make Xiaomi devices

Many people think that Xiaomi makes smartphones, but in fact the company is following a fab-less model (without its own factories).

• 🏭 Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry): Collects flagship models (Mi 11, Mi 12) at factories in China and India
• 🏭 Flex (formerly Flextronics): Manufactures Redmi series devices and POCO Brazil and India
• 🏭 Wingtech: Responsible for assembling budget smartphones and accessories

Xiaomi has a tight control over quality, with engineers working at every stage of production, such as the Mi 11 Ultra, which tested more than 10,000 prototypes of the camera before it was released to achieve perfect color reproduction.

Geography of production:

• 🇨🇳 China: Main plants in Shenzhen and Changsha (production of flagships and components)
• 🇮🇳 India: 6 factories (including the largest in Noida) where Redmi and POCO
• 🇧🇷 Brazil: Local production for the Latin American market
• 🇷🇺 Russia: From 2021, part of the devices is assembled at the plant in the Kaluga region

⚠️ Note: If you buy Xiaomi in Russia, look at the manufacturer country.Devices assembled in India or Brazil may have different frequency bands for the company. 4G/5G, It's more important than the Chinese or Russian versions, and it's important for the mobile network to work smoothly.

Fun fact: Xiaomi is one of the few companies that speaks openly about its suppliers, for example, the Mi 13 Ultra uses:

• 📸 Sony camera IMX989 (1 inch, 50 MP)
• 🔋 The battery from Sunwoda and ATL
• 📱 Samsung screen E6 AMOLED 120Hz support

Xiaomi Today: Ecosystem, Innovation and the Future

By 2026, Xiaomi is not just a smartphone, but also an ecosystem of more than 400 smart devices.

1. Smartphones and tablets: Xiaomi series (flagships), Redmi (budget), POCO (Gaming, Black Shark (Gaming)
2. Smart technology: Robot vacuum cleaners (Mi Robot), electric scooters (Mi Electric Scooter), smart lamps (Yeelight), laptops (Mi Notebook)
3. Internet services: MIUI (More than 500 million active users, Mi Home (smart home management), Mi Pay (payment system)

One of the most ambitious projects in recent years was the electric car Xiaomi SU7. Lei Jun announced it in 2021, investing more $10 billion in development, first prototypes shown in 2023, and mass production will begin in 2026, the car is positioned as a "smart electric car" with integration. MIUI Support for autonomous driving.

Other Xiaomi innovations that have changed the market:

• 🔋 Fast charging: HyperCharge technology (200W) charges your smartphone in 8 minutes
• 📸 Mi 11 Ultra is the first smartphone with a sensor of 1 inch (as in professional cameras)
• 🤖 AI: Voice assistant Xiao AI It is used by more than 100 million devices
• 🌍 5G: Xiaomi was one of the first to release affordable 5G-Smartphone (Mi Mix 3) 5G 2019)

Check the serial number at mi.com/verify

Make sure the box has a holographic sticker.

In the settings of the smartphone should be the item "Mi Account" (forgeries it is not)

The price should not be lower than the official by more than 20%-->

The future of the company is linked to three key areas:

1. Ecosystem development: Integration of all devices (from light bulbs to cars) into a single system with control through Mi Home.
2. Artificial Intelligence: Introducing AI into everything from cameras to voice assistants.
3. Global expansion: Strengthen its position in Europe and enter the US market (so far limited due to the trade conflict between China and the US).

FAQ: answers to popular questions about Xiaomi