Zhou Yahui
Zhou Yahui | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age Lijiang, China |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, Business executive |
| Known for | Founder of Kunlun Tech Co Ltd; chairman and CEO of Opera |
Zhou Yahui (; born February 1977) is a Chinese entrepreneur and billionaire. He established Kunlun Tech Co Ltd (initially known as Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd) in 2008, which became one of the leading web game developers in China. Zhou held the positions of chairman and CEO at Kunlun Tech until 2020. Presently, he serves as chairman and co-CEO of Opera. His net worth is estimated at approximately US$2.2 billion.
Early life
Zhou was born in February 1977 in Lijiang, China. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering in 1999 and later earned a master's degree in optical engineering in 2006, both from Tsinghua University.
Career
Zhou’s professional journey began in 1999 with the creation of Vulcan Net, a website supported by Tsinghua University that showcased local animations primarily created by university students. Due to financial challenges, Vulcan Net ceased operations in 2004.
In November 2005, Zhou took on an executive management role at Renren, a social networking platform. He departed in March 2007 to become general manager at Beijing JiNaiTe Technology Co., Ltd., a position he held until March 2008 when he founded Kunlun Tech Co Ltd. From 2008 to 2011, Zhou was executive director and general manager, then advanced to chairman and CEO from 2011 onward. The company officially adopted the name Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd in March 2011. Zhou owns a 30% share of the firm. In 2015, Kunlun Tech was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Beijing Kunlun Tech specializes in distributing video games across China via its GameArk platform. In January 2016, Kunlun acquired a majority stake (60%) in the gay dating application Grindr. The following month, a consortium including Kunlun purchased Opera Software, with Kunlun obtaining a 48% ownership stake, effectively giving Zhou majority control. Since then, Zhou has been serving as chairman and CEO of Opera.
In March 2019, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) mandated Beijing Kunlun to divest Grindr due to national security concerns linked to sensitive user data accessible by Kunlun personnel in Beijing. Grindr was sold in March 2020 to San Vincente Acquisition LLC for $608 million.
On April 13, 2020, Zhou stepped down as chairman of Beijing Kunlun to dedicate his efforts to Opay, a fintech and e-commerce venture developed by Opera with primary operations in Nigeria. Wang Liwei took over as chairman.
Personal life
Zhou was married to Li Qiong, his childhood schoolmate, until their divorce finalized in September 2016. The divorce settlement involved transferring $1.1 billion worth of Beijing Kunlun Tech shares, marking one of the most expensive divorce agreements in China’s history.