How Lin built the fortune
Lin Bin was one of the small group of engineers and managers who founded Xiaomi in Beijing in April 2010, alongside the entrepreneur Lei Jun. Lin had spent years in senior engineering roles at Microsoft and Google in China, and he brought both technical credibility and a network of experienced engineers to the new company. He became Xiaomi's president and one of its largest shareholders after Lei.
Xiaomi began with MIUI, a customized version of the Android operating system, and released its first smartphone in 2011. Its approach was to sell capable phones at low margins, mainly online, and to build a loyal community of users who gave feedback on frequent software updates. The strategy worked: within a few years Xiaomi was one of the largest smartphone sellers in China and expanded quickly into India, Southeast Asia and Europe.
The company later broadened into a wide range of connected devices, from televisions and fitness bands to air purifiers and home appliances, many made by partner companies in its ecosystem. Xiaomi listed its shares in Hong Kong in July 2018. Lin's large stake in the listed company is the source of his wealth, and its value has moved with Xiaomi's shares, which rose strongly after the company's entry into electric vehicles.
The early group of co-founders mattered to Xiaomi's rise. Lei Jun supplied entrepreneurial experience and capital, while Lin and other co-founders with backgrounds at Microsoft, Google, Motorola and Kingsoft built the software, hardware and supply chain teams. Each co-founder received a meaningful equity stake, which is why several of them became very wealthy when the company went public.
Companies and holdings
Lin's main asset is his shareholding in Xiaomi Corporation, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Xiaomi's businesses include:
- Smartphones, sold under the Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco brands.
- Internet of things and lifestyle products, including televisions, wearables and household devices.
- Internet services, mainly advertising and services on Xiaomi devices.
- Electric vehicles, starting with the SU7 sedan launched in 2024.
In 2024 Lin announced plans to sell part of his Xiaomi holding over several years, saying he intended to use the funds for a venture capital fund. Such sales gradually reduce his stake but convert part of his wealth into cash and other investments.
Early life and career
Lin Bin was born in Guangzhou, in southern China. He earned a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering from Sun Yat-sen University and then moved to the United States, where he completed a master's degree in computer science at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
He began his career in the United States as an engineer, working at a software firm before joining Microsoft. He later moved back to China with Microsoft, where he worked in the company's research and engineering operations, including the Microsoft Engineering Academy in Beijing. In 2006 he joined Google as an engineering director, helping to build its research and development center in China. He left Google to co-found Xiaomi with Lei Jun, recruiting several colleagues from both companies.
His years in American and multinational technology companies shaped his management approach, with an emphasis on engineering quality and fast software iteration. For much of Xiaomi's early history he oversaw smartphone development, the business on which the company's reputation was built.
Philanthropy and public life
Lin has generally kept a lower profile than Lei Jun, who serves as Xiaomi's chairman and public face. Lin stepped down as Xiaomi's president in 2019 while remaining vice chairman, and he has focused more on long term strategy and investments than on daily operations. He has been active on Chinese social media, sometimes promoting Xiaomi products directly.
Details of his personal philanthropy are not widely publicized. Xiaomi as a company has made donations during disasters and public health emergencies in China and other markets. Lin's plan to set up a venture capital fund with proceeds from share sales suggests his main public role in coming years may be as an investor in technology companies. His public statements tend to concentrate on products and investment rather than on personal matters.