HEAD OF THE DAY
🇨🇳 William Lei Ding
🕹️ From Programmer to Gaming Mogul: William Ding, founder and CEO of NetEase, started out as an engineer and turned his company into one of China’s leading internet groups. He rose to prominence by pioneering online gaming, licensing Blizzard titles such as World of Warcraft. In parallel, NetEase built its own hit games that attract hundreds of millions of players.
Today the company is expanding into AI, music, and education, but its games division remains a global heavyweight. Ding was at times China’s richest man and currently has a net worth of over $25 billion.
👉 Lesson learned: Secure global brands, double down on local innovation. International IP builds trust and reach, but the real moat is creating your own content and ecosystems to secure long-term dominance.
The China Survival Guide for Western Businesses
Entity setup, WeChat strategy, hiring your first local team. 12+ years on the ground in Shanghai.
