William Ding
Born 1971 · Age 54
Chinese entrepreneur, founder and long-time CEO of NetEase, major figure in China's internet and online gaming industry; diversified into agriculture (pig farming) and winemaking; one of China's richest people.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against William Ding and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Fenghua (Ningbo), Zhejiang Province
Ding Lei (also known as William Ding) was born in Fenghua, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China.
Matriculated at Chengdu Institute of Radio Engineering
Started four-year undergraduate program at Chengdu Institute of Radio Engineering (now University of Electronic Science and Technology of China).
Graduated with bachelor's in telecommunications engineering
Earned a bachelor's degree in telecommunications/communication technology from Chengdu Institute of Radio Engineering (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China). Also developing his own software by graduation.
Joined local state department in Ningbo as engineer
First professional role: technical engineer at a China Telecom branch/local state department in Ningbo.
Left Ningbo post and moved to Guangzhou to work for Sybase
Took a higher-paying role as project manager / technical support engineer at Sybase's China office in Guangzhou; stayed about one year.
Joined Guangzhou Feijie as systems analyst
Worked for Guangzhou Feijie Company as systems analyst for roughly one year before founding his own firm.
NetEase product launch: free e-mail and personal websites
NetEase launched its portal model offering free e-mail and personal webpages, a core early product that drove traffic and ad revenue.
Founded NetEase (Netease.com) in Beijing
Launched NetEase as an Internet portal focused on free e-mail and personal websites for mainland Chinese users.
Launched China's first online auction (approximate)
NetEase launched what is described in sources as one of China's first online auction services; introduced cash-on-delivery workaround for lack of credit-card penetration.
Early investments: attracted funding from ING and Goldman Sachs
As NetEase grew, it started attracting institutional backers such as ING and Goldman Sachs (investor names cited in coverage of early funding).
Introduced first personalized information service and Chinese-language search (approx.)
NetEase added China's first personalized information service and the first Chinese-language search product as part of portal expansion (dates approximated late 1990s).
NetEase reached ~6 million page views daily
After about three years of operation, NetEase was reporting roughly 6 million page views per day, demonstrating rapid growth.
Nominated for Internet World Asia Industry Award (Internet Visionary)
Ding was a nominee for the Internet World Asia Industry Award in the category Internet Visionary of the Year.
NetEase became a public company
NetEase transitioned to a public company (became publicly listed during the dot-com era).
Stepped down as CEO to become Chief Technology Officer
In April 2000 Ding relinquished CEO duties at NetEase to focus on technology and product innovation as CTO.
NetEase accounting/stock crisis and delisting fears
Rumors about misreported finances caused a plunge in NetEase's stock and threats of delisting; the company ultimately recovered.
NetEase ranked among most-visited internet sites globally
By this period NetEase was ranked among the world's most-visited internet properties (citation/context in EBSCO profile).
Appointed Chief Architect of NetEase
Ding became chief architect of NetEase.com (role held until November 2005).
Named China's richest individual (mainland) and first Internet/gaming billionaire
Recognized as the richest person on the Chinese mainland in 2003, with reported wealth of 7.6 billion yuan; hailed as China's first internet and gaming billionaire.
Received Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award
Honored for innovative utilization of information technology with the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award.
Returned to NetEase as CEO
Ding resumed the role of CEO of NetEase in November 2005 after serving as chief architect.
NetEase expands aggressively into online gaming
Under Ding's leadership NetEase developed/operated major online games and became a leading Chinese company for MMORPGs (milestone period continuing through the 2000s).
Licensing partnership with Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft)
NetEase signed a lucrative licensing agreement with Blizzard to operate World of Warcraft and other Blizzard titles in mainland China.
Developed/operated major Chinese titles (company product milestones across 2000s)
NetEase developed major domestic online titles (e.g., Fantasy Westward Journey, Westward Journey Online) and grew large player bases—milestone span across 2000s and 2010s.
Featured in industry coverage (example: 'Behind the Great Firewall')
Ding and NetEase were covered in industry publications discussing Chinese internet/news/gaming market dynamics (bibliography includes Advertising Age 2011 piece).
Reported: Ding held large controlling stake enabling personal wealth concentration
Reports around 2012 noted Ding's ~45% stake in NetEase, explaining much of his personal wealth growth as the company prospered.
NetEase extended diversification into music, e-commerce and education (ongoing)
NetEase's portfolio broadened in the 2010s to include music streaming (NetEase Cloud Music), e-commerce, and education-related products (general expansion noted across profiles).
NetEase online games became largest revenue share (noted)
By 2012 NetEase's online game operations accounted for the largest share of the company's revenue (context for Blizzard deal extension).
Reported NetEase ownership stake ~45%
Coverage in/around 2012 noted Ding held approximately 45% of NetEase's stock, making him the primary shareholder.
Founded NetEase agriculture/pig-farming division
Ding branched NetEase into pork production, launching a technology- and sustainability-focused pig farm operation (motivated by food-safety concerns).
Extended Blizzard licensing agreement
NetEase and Blizzard extended their partnership in March 2012 for an additional three years.
Hurun Report net worth estimate
Hurun Report (2013) estimated Ding's net worth at approximately $5.2 billion USD.
Continued recognition on Forbes billionaires lists
Ding consistently appeared on Forbes lists of the world's richest people (ongoing recognition through the 2010s).
Media reports profile NetEase's pig farm (scale description)
Profiles described Ding's pig farm as a large-scale, technology-driven operation (EBSCO notes an 800-square-kilometer pig farm referenced in some profiles).
Media/bibliography entries and ongoing academic coverage
Multiple articles, interviews and academic/business coverage pieces about Ding and NetEase were published and cited (bibliography entries through 2013 and later).
Exploring property investments
In late 2016 Ding publicly was looking into investing in the property sector.
Travelled to the United Kingdom re: property interests
During late-2016 property investigations Ding also travelled to the United Kingdom.
Travelled to Zimbabwe while exploring property opportunities
In December 2016 Ding visited Zimbabwe as part of property-investment exploration.
Pig-farm VC funding validates agribusiness strategy
May 2017 institutional investment (US$23M) in the pig-farm venture signaled external investor confidence in NetEase's agribusiness arm.
Pig-farm venture raised US$23 million from VC/strategic investors
In May 2017 Sinovation Ventures, Meituan-Dianping and JD (an Alibaba competitor) invested a total of US$23 million in Ding's pig-farm / agriculture venture.
Appointed (or listed) as member of 13th CPPCC (approx.)
Wikipedia categories list him as a member of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; the 13th CPPCC term began in 2018.
Press profile on NetEase's diversification (pig farm, winery)
Press coverage (e.g., South China Morning Post) profiled Ding's investments in pig farming and a winery / château in Zhejiang, driven by food-safety and wine-quality experiences.
High-profile international real-estate acquisition noted
Purchase of Bel Air home placed Ding in news coverage concerning high-net-worth global real-estate purchases by Chinese billionaires.
Purchased Bel Air mansion from Elon Musk for US$29 million
In June 2020 Ding bought a 16,000-square-foot Bel Air mansion from Elon Musk for US$29 million.
Stepped down from leading NetEase (reported)
Reportedly stepped down from leading the company in 2022 as some Chinese tech leaders reduced public-facing roles amid regulatory and market headwinds.
Industry shift: Ding among tech leaders stepping back
In 2022 Ding stepped down from a leading role amid a broader trend of Chinese tech leaders reducing visibility and facing regulatory headwinds.
Forbes estimated net worth at US$32 billion
Forbes reported Ding's net worth as approximately US$32 billion in 2023, ranking him among the world's richest.
Public reports put net worth at about US$33.5 billion
Various profiles (summaries) reported Ding's net worth around US$33.5 billion in 2024.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index: net worth at US$38.9 billion
Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Ding's fortune at about US$38.9 billion as of May 2025.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what William Ding and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Jan Koum
Born 1976 · Age 49
Ukrainian‑American computer programmer and entrepreneur; co‑founder and former CEO of WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014.
Janus Friis
Born 1976 · Age 49
Danish entrepreneur best known as co‑founder of KaZaA and Skype; serial founder across P2P, streaming, messaging and robotics (Rdio, Joost, Vdio, Wire, Starship).
Demis Hassabis
Born 1976 · Age 49
British AI researcher, entrepreneur and neuroscientist. Co‑founder & CEO of DeepMind (acquired by Google) and founder/CEO of Isomorphic Labs. Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (2024).
Dave Rubin
Born 1976 · Age 49
American political commentator, comedian, and host/creator of The Rubin Report (YouTube/BlazeTV). Formerly associated with The Young Turks, now identifies as conservative/libertarian; author of multiple books.
Ann Miura-Ko
Born 1976 · Age 49
Co-founding Partner at Floodgate (seed-stage VC), Stanford lecturer, repeat Forbes Midas List member, early investor in Lyft, TaskRabbit, Refinery29 and others. PhD in math modeling of computer security from Stanford; grew up in Palo Alto.
John Elkann
Born 1976 · Age 49
Italian-American industrialist; chairman of Stellantis, chairman (and former CEO) of Ferrari, CEO and chairman of Exor; fifth-generation leader of the Agnelli industrial dynasty.