# Ding Lei

_Chinese internet entrepreneur and billionaire_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/ding-lei
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Ding Lei (Chinese: 丁磊; pinyin: Dīng Lěi; born 1 October 1971; also known as William Ding) is a Chinese billionaire businessman, and the founder and CEO of NetEase.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 1 October 1971 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Ningbo ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P19))
- **Citizenship:** People's Republic of China ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P27))
- **Occupation:** entrepreneur ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P106))
- **Education:** University of Electronic Science and Technology of China ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P69))
- **Positions held:** member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137#P39))

## About

He has made significant contributions to the development of computer networks in mainland China. In late 2016, he was looking into investing in the property sector, and travelled to Zimbabwe in December and to the United Kingdom. As of May 2025, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated Ding's fortune to be $38.9 billion.  In October 2025, CEO Today Names Lei in a list of the Top50 CEO.

## Questions

**When was Ding Lei born?**  
Ding Lei was born on 1 October 1971 in Ningbo.

**What positions has Ding Lei held?**  
Positions held by Ding Lei include: member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

**Where did Ding Lei study?**  
Ding Lei was educated at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

## Related

- [Robin Li](https://diginpl.com/people/robin-li)
- [Wang Jianlin](https://diginpl.com/people/wang-jianlin)
- [Li Shufu](https://diginpl.com/people/li-shufu)
- [Zhou Xiaochuan](https://diginpl.com/people/zhou-xiaochuan)
- [Xu Rongmao](https://diginpl.com/people/xu-rongmao)
- [Liu Qiangdong](https://diginpl.com/people/liu-qiangdong)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Ding Lei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding_Lei) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q5278137](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5278137) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Ding Lei, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

## Cite this page

"Ding Lei". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/ding-lei. Retrieved 6 November 2026.