Zhengyu Xie

Zhenyu’s story kicks off in the late '90s, fresh out of Sun-Yat Sen University with a computer science degree under his belt. The guy didn’t waste any time—he dove straight into the tech trenches at China Merchants Bank, grinding as a senior technical engineer for a few years. Not exactly the most glamorous gig, but hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? Fast forward to 2001, and you can tell he’s restless. SoGua pops up on the scene—China’s first-ever digital music search engine. That’s pretty wild for the time, considering most folks were still struggling with dial-up internet and Napster drama on the other side of the world. But Zhenyu isn’t the type to settle. By 2004, he’s cooked up Kugou Music, and honestly, that's where things really take off. The dude’s obsessed with pushing tech forward, especially when it comes to music and the whole digital scene. Over the next decade, he’s basically glued to the idea of transforming how people in China find and listen to music. He’s not just riding the wave—he’s building the surfboard. Innovation, disruption, all those buzzwords actually mean something when you look at his track record. Zhenyu’s journey isn’t just about launching startups; it’s about rewiring the entire music industry in China. And, let’s be real, without his stubborn streak and knack for spotting what’s next, digital music there would probably look a whole lot different.