On a cold winter day in 1969, in Xiantao, a small city in China’s Hubei province, a boy named Jun Lei was born to a modest family. His father, a schoolteacher, and his mother, a homemaker, instilled in him a deep appreciation for education and hard work. Growing up in a home where resources were limited, Lei developed an acute awareness of scarcity – a perspective that would later shape his philosophy of providing high-quality products at affordable prices.
As a child, Lei showed an unusual curiosity for how things worked. His father often brought home books on science and technology, which Lei devoured with a level of focus that outpaced his peers. It was the early 1980s, and personal computers were just beginning to gain global recognition. Though the family could not afford one, Lei spent hours sketching electronic systems, computer parts and systems in his notebook, imagining the day he could build one himself.
At the age of 18, Lei was admitted to Wuhan University, one of China’s most prestigious educational institutions, to study Computer Science. It was a transformative period for him. In his first year, Lei came across a translated copy of Fire in the Valley, a book chronicling the birth of Silicon Valley and the early days of tech titans like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Lei became captivated by their stories – tales of disruption, innovation, and relentless ambition. He resolved that one day, he would build a company of his own that would impact millions.
During his time at Wuhan University, Lei stood out not only for his academic excellence but also for his tenacity in tackling complex problems. He frequently visited the university’s computer lab, often staying past midnight to work on coding projects. His peers remember him as quiet, disciplined, and fiercely determined – a man who spoke little but dreamed big. In his final year of university, Lei built his first startup – building encryption software. It was a small venture, but it planted the seed of entrepreneurship in him.
In 1991, Lei graduated with a degree in Computer Science and set his sights on China’s nascent technology industry. The early 1990s marked a turning point in China’s economic reform, with technology companies like Lenovo beginning to emerge. Lei, however, wasn’t interested in joining established firms. He wanted to build something from scratch – something that could touch the lives of millions, if not billions.
What Lei did not know at the time was that his modest upbringing, his early fascination with technology, and his exposure to Silicon Valley’s success stories would soon converge into a bold ambition – one that would eventually lead him to build Xiaomi, a company that would redefine the global smartphone market.