How did TikTok’s Zhang Yiming become one of China’s richest men?

Zhang Yiming’s name is derived from a Chinese proverb that translates to surprising everyone with a first attempt.

However, the tech entrepreneur’s path has not been an overnight success.

During his time at university, Zhang switched his major from microelectronics to software engineering. However, he did meet his wife at Nankai University. The couple have yet to add children to the mix.

Feeling stifled by corporate rules, he left a lucrative career at Microsoft to join a start-up called Fanfou, which did not take off.

His journey has been one of extreme ups and downs.

“In 2005, I graduated from Nankai University and joined a company called Kuxun. I was one of first employees. And I was an ordinary engineer at the beginning, but in the second year, I was in charge of about 40 to 50 people responsible for back-end technology and other tasks related to products,” he said in a speech to employees at a Toutiao boot camp.

Zhang attributes his quick ascent to a work ethic that transcended the boundaries of his responsibilities.

“At that time, I was responsible for the technology, but when the product had problems, and I would actively participate in the discussion of product plan. A lot of people say this is not what I should be doing. But I want to say: your sense of responsibility and your desire to do things well, will drive you to do more things and to gain experience,” he said.

An engineer at the time, Zhang’s experience and involvement in the business sector eventually proved useful in his own ventures.

“I remember that at the end of 2007, I went to meet the client with the sales director. This experience let me know what sales are good sales. When I established Toutiao and recruited staff, these examples helped me a lot,” he recalled.

It’s paid off handsomely. Today, the 36-year-old is among the richest in China with an estimated US$16.2 billion net worth.