In this article we are going to list the 5 countries with the highest corporate tax rates. For a detailed coverage of this topic and a more comprehensive look, please head on over to the 12 most influential Chinese entrepreneurs.
5. Zhang Yiming
Date of Birth: April 1983 (age 37 years)
Occupation: Founder, Chairman and CEO of ByteDance (parent company of TikTok)
Net Worth: $16.2 Billion (as of January 2nd, 2021)
At only 37 years old, the owner and founder of the parent company of TikTok is the youngest business leader on our list of 12 most influential Chinese entrepreneurs. In just 8 years, Zhang has reached billionaire status while simultaneously changing the definition of mainstream social media. Tiktok, formerly known as Musical.ly has been downloaded over 2.6 billion times worldwide, in which the US market plays a pivotal role. Chinese platforms Toutiao and Douyin are also incredibly popular, delivering content to the public in a variety of ways.
4. Ma Huateng
Date of Birth: October 29, 1971 (age 49 years)
Occupation: Founder, Chairman and CEO, Tencent Holdings
Net Worth: $70.1 Billion (as of January 2nd, 2021)
Tencent is the developer of many recognizable products such as Tencent QQ, WeChat, and PUBG, with activity in a number of industries including entertainment, video games, comics, music, e-commerce, medicine, and augmented reality. Tencent also helped source 1.2 million masks for American medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ma’s company is regarded as one of the most financially valuable companies in the world, and is a leading force in the technology world.
3. Wang Chuanfu
Date of Birth: April 8, 1966 (Age 54 years)
Occupation: Founder of BYD Company
Net Worth: $22.1 Billion (as of January 2nd, 2021)
The founder of automobile giant BYD (Build Your Dreams) grew up without parents, as part of a family of poor farmers. At just 29 years old, he founded the company BYD, which has now gone on to become one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. In 2008 Warren Buffet, founder of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A), bought 225 million new shares of BYD which catapulted its value and made Wang China’s richest man in 2009. Since then, the company’s success has only increased, with plans to launch a newly developed “blade battery” with better performance than any other battery seen in the world yet.
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2. Ren Zhengfei
Date of Birth: October 25, 1944 (Age 76 years)
Occupation: Founder of Huawei Technologies
Net Worth: $1.4 Billion (as of January 2nd, 2021)
At 76 years, Ren is the oldest entrepreneur to grace our list. Initially starting the company with just 5,000 dollars, he has managed to bring Huawei to what it is today, a company worth over 160 billion dollars. Recently, Huawei was accused of conducting cyber-espionage by several countries all over the world. In the face of this company crisis, the founder was able to appear calm and composed as he answered questions and provided details about the scandal. Since then, Huawei has worked on improving key areas such as chips and mobile phones.
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1. Jack Ma
Date of Birth: September 10, 1964 (Age 55 years)
Occupation: Founder and director of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA)
Net Worth: $62.1 Billion (as of January 2nd, 2021)
Topping our list of 12 most influential Chinese entrepreneurs is none other than the founder and director of e-commerce giant, Jack Ma. Ma is currently ranked as the richest person in China, with a net worth of over 62 Billion dollars. Before starting his company, Ma worked as an English teacher at university. He struggled with doing well academically, and is said to have given the college entrance exam three times before finally passing. He speaks about his time then very candidly in interviews, sharing details about the struggle and hard work which brought him to his current position. Today, Alibaba is the top e-commerce company in the world with over 117,000 employees. Jack Ma announced his retirement in 2019, stepping down from the role of executive chairman of Alibaba Group. At the time of this news, he clarified his intentions, stating “Resignation does not mean retirement, it just has more time and energy to do what you want to do.”
See also: 15 biggest retailers in the world heading into 2021 and top 20 richest people in the world
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