Richard Liu Qiangdong is the CEO, founder, and chairman of JD.com. He was born in Chang’an, a city in China where there was no running water or electricity. When he was born, his parents were affluent Chinese merchants, but they had lost everything and now worked as rice farmers. He used to look after his grandma, who taught him how to use the resources at hand.
Qiangdong extensively utilized his savings during his after-school travels in Nanjing, marveling as he explored the city’s first tower block. As he began to dream of traveling, he saw how little the world he was inhabiting was. He desired to visit New York, Paris, and Beijing. He decided to apply to colleges in the cities of Shanghai and Beijing to attend the institution.
His good grades allowed him to gain admission to the University of Renmin. He obtained his sociology degree from the university. Richard Liu decided to learn computer programming in addition to his classes, and he part-time obtained a little job copying documents and letters. He benefited from the increased need for computer programmers at the time.
Liu Qiangdong could purchase an expensive personal computer and cell phone with his funds. He also had a residence built for his parents. He opened a restaurant thanks to the money he saved from the programming. This later collapsed due to poor management, putting all his trust in the employees. They exploited this by robbing money from the cash register and forging receipts, which led to the company’s failure.
This inspired him to pursue his JD and enroll in the EMBA program at the International Business School with locations in China and Europe. His business sold magneto-optical products, which saw rapid growth in the years that followed. In 2003, the company was forced to close due to the SARS outbreak in the nation. Later, he saw this as an opportunity to expand the company by moving the products online. He received the CCTV China’s Economic Performance Awards in 2011. See related link for additional information.
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