Biography
Chen Tianqiao (陈天桥), born in 1973, is a legendary figure in China's internet history, known for his meteoric rise and equally dramatic strategic pivots. As the founder of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, he single-handedly created China's online gaming industry and, at age 31, became the youngest and wealthiest man in the country.
A graduate of Fudan University, Chen possessed a rare combination of strategic vision and ruthless execution. In 1999, he founded Shanda with his wife and brother. In a make-or-break bet, he secured the rights to the Korean game Legend of Mir 2 with his last remaining funds. The game's explosive success turned Shanda into an empire that controlled over 65% of China's online gaming market.
At the height of his power in 2004, after a record-breaking NASDAQ IPO, Chen did not consolidate his gaming empire. Instead, he embarked on a visionary but ultimately ill-fated quest to build an "online Disney." He poured hundreds of millions into the "Shanda Box," a set-top device intended to transform every TV into an interactive entertainment center, predating modern streaming boxes by years. The project's failure, due to regulatory hurdles and immature infrastructure, marked a major turning point in his career.
After suffering from severe panic attacks, Chen retired from the front lines of the internet industry, selling off his gaming empire. He has since re-emerged as a significant global investor, dedicating his fortune and focus to what he sees as the ultimate frontier: neuroscience and brain research, through the Chen Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute.
Major Achievements
- 1999: Founded Shanda Interactive Entertainment.
- 2001: Acquired the rights to Legend of Mir 2, which became the most successful online game in Chinese history.
- 2004: Led Shanda to a successful IPO on the NASDAQ and became the richest man in China at age 31.
- 2005: Launched the "Shanda Box," a visionary, albeit unsuccessful, attempt to dominate the digital living room.
- 2016: Co-founded the Chen Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute, pledging over $1 billion to advance brain research.
Business Philosophy
Chen Tianqiao's philosophy is defined by audacious, forward-looking vision and a willingness to bet the entire company on it. He was never content with incremental improvements, always seeking to build a comprehensive ecosystem. His strategy for Shanda was not just to be a gaming company but an all-encompassing digital entertainment empire, controlling content, platforms, and the user's screen. While this grand ambition led to the Shanda Box's failure, it also demonstrated his core belief in preemptively disrupting one's own business to stay ahead of the future. After his exit from gaming, this focus shifted from dominating the external world of entertainment to understanding the internal world of the human brain, which he considers the ultimate problem to solve.