Tony Xu

Tony Xu
Born	Xu Xun 1983/1984 Nanjing, China
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, CEO
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Co-founder and CEO of DoorDash

Tony Xu (; originally named Xu Xun, born 1983/1984) is a Chinese-American billionaire entrepreneur and the co-founder as well as the CEO of DoorDash. He was born in Nanjing and moved to the United States at the age of four. Xu obtained academic qualifications from the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Early in his professional journey, he gained experience interning at Square, Inc. and held positions at McKinsey & Company, eBay, and PayPal. In 2020, he was recognized on the Fortune 40 Under 40 list.

When DoorDash went public in December 2020, it raised $3.4 billion through its IPO, which increased Xu’s estimated net worth to approximately $2.8 billion by April 2021. Both he and his spouse Patti have pledged to donate a significant portion of their wealth through the Giving Pledge.

Early life and education

Xu’s birthplace is Nanjing, China. His family relocated to Champaign, Illinois in 1989. His mother, Julie Cao, originally a physician in China, later established acupuncture and medical clinics in both Champaign and the San Francisco Bay Area. His father, a former professor in China, completed a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and applied mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

From a young age, Xu took on work responsibilities, including washing dishes at the restaurant where his mother was employed. He legally adopted the name Tony Xu, drawing inspiration from the television show Who's the Boss?. Xu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and operations research from the UC Berkeley College of Engineering, followed by an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2013.

Career

At the outset of his career, Xu interned at the financial services firm Square, Inc. and played a role in business development for the e-commerce application RedLaser. He also served as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company and worked as a corporate strategy consultant for both eBay and PayPal.

In 2013, Xu co-founded the delivery service platform DoorDash alongside Stanford peers Andy Fang, Evan Moore, and Stanley Tang, building on their earlier collaboration on PaloAltoDelivery.com in 2012. Motivated by his immigrant background and his mother’s experience working in restaurants, Xu and DoorDash’s initial team personally managed deliveries. He continues to lead as CEO and owns roughly five percent equity in the company. The 2020 initial public offering led by Xu propelled him to billionaire status at age 36. As of December 2020, he retains majority control over DoorDash with 69 percent voting power via Class B shares.

Xu was featured on Fortunes "40 Under 40" list in 2020. In 2022, he expanded his portfolio by becoming an angel investor in the startup company Gigs.

Board service and investments

In addition to his role on DoorDash’s board of directors, Tony Xu contributes to the Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation and TechNet boards. His influence broadened further in January 2022 when he joined the board of directors for Meta Platforms, marking a significant step within the technology sector.

Xu has made strategic investments in blockchain firm Alchemy as well as ghost kitchen enterprises including All Day Kitchens and Local Kitchens, reflecting his interest in innovative food delivery models and advancing technology industries.

Charitable Contributions

As members of the Giving Pledge, Tony Xu and his wife Patti have generously contributed to institutions such as Berkeley, Northwestern, and causes benefiting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Personal Details

Xu lives in San Francisco. He met Patti while attending Berkeley; they married in 2013 and have two children together. Xu is passionate about running and has previously competed in marathon events. A dedicated supporter of the Golden State Warriors, he acknowledges that basketball and television played a key role in his English language acquisition.

External links

• Tony Xu profile at Bloomberg News
• , February 12, 2021, Stanford Graduate School of Business