The 'Craftsman' Philosophy of a 'Zen' CEO: How Ding Lei Built the 'Happiest' Company in China's Internet Industry

Prologue: An "Atypical" Tycoon

On the list of China's tech billionaires, Ding Lei is a very special presence.

Unlike most "tycoons" who are always stern-faced and sharp-tongued, he always appears in public with a genuine, child-like smile. He wears jeans and a T-shirt, dancing at his own product launch events; he happily shares the pork from his own farm at internet conference dinners; he even personally interacts with ordinary users in the comment section of NetEase Cloud Music.

He doesn't look like the CEO of a business empire worth hundreds of billions, but more like a "happy boy" full of curiosity about the world and a love for life.

This "happiness" of Ding Lei is also deeply imprinted in the character of the company he founded—NetEase.

In the Chinese internet industry, "996" is considered the norm, and "wolf culture" is revered. NetEase, however, has always been known as a "breath of fresh air." It has a top-notch free cafeteria, a well-equipped gym and health benefits, and a cultural atmosphere that encourages employees to "pursue their passions" and achieve "work-life balance."

"NetEase is the Chinese internet company with the highest sense of happiness."—This is almost a consensus in the industry.

A "Zen" CEO and a "happy" company. What kind of management philosophy of Ding Lei is hidden behind this seemingly "non-mainstream" combination?

Act I: The Wisdom of Being "Slow"

"Speed is the biggest enemy of this industry." Ding Lei has expressed this view internally more than once.

In the past two decades of the Chinese internet, everyone has believed in the law of the jungle that "only the fast survive." Chasing trends, grabbing market share, burning money on subsidies, and rapid expansion... have become the standard playbook for most companies.

Ding Lei, however, seems to have always intentionally kept his distance from this "speed."

NetEase rarely chases the hottest trends. When waves like O2O, the sharing economy, and short videos swept through, NetEase almost always chose to "stand still." This "slowness" at the time also brought Ding Lei and NetEase a lot of criticism from the outside world for being "slow to react" and "missing the era."

But Ding Lei had his own unique understanding of this.

He believed that many so-called "trends" were essentially "pseudo-demands" created by capital and did not have long-term user value. Blindly chasing them would only lead to an endless and meaningless war of attrition.

He believed more in a "craftsman-like" product philosophy: rather than doing a hundred mediocre things, it is better to spend enough time to focus on polishing one product that can truly make users scream.

"Our product strategy is to be like a craftsman, meticulously carving our products," Ding Lei said.

NetEase spent seven years raising pigs; NetEase Cloud Music was secretly developed for more than a year before its launch; many of NetEase's games are developed with the patience of "honing a sword for ten years."

It is this "slowness" that has allowed NetEase to avoid many "pitfalls" and has given it enough time and composure to create those truly "classic" products that can withstand the test of time.

Act II: Paying for "Passion"

Another key word in Ding Lei's management philosophy is "passion."

He believes that the greatest products must originate from the purest passion deep within the developers' hearts, not from the pressure of KPIs.

Therefore, within NetEase, he strives to create a relaxed and free innovation atmosphere, encouraging employees to boldly try things they are truly interested in and passionate about.

The birth of NetEase Cloud Music is the best embodiment of this culture. In the early stages of the project, Ding Lei had almost no KPI requirements for this small team. He only made one request: "Go make a music app that you yourselves would want to use every day."

It was this passion, regardless of profit, that ultimately led this team to create a product full of "soul" and "emotion."

Ding Lei himself is the chief practitioner of this "paying for passion." He makes games because he is a hardcore gamer himself; he makes music because he is a music enthusiast; he raises pigs because he wants his family and himself to eat safe pork; he does e-commerce because he wants to solve his own "difficulty in choosing" when shopping.

Many of NetEase's star products were initiated to satisfy one of Ding Lei's "personal needs."

This "interest-driven" model gives NetEase's products a unique, idealistic character, and also allows it to accurately attract users who are "on the same wavelength."

Epilogue: Happiness is the Ultimate Productivity

In the second half of the Chinese internet era, when the "traffic dividend" disappears and everyone begins to rethink the essence of "user value," looking back at Ding Lei and his "philosophy of happiness," we can find the profound wisdom it contains.

He has proven with over two decades of practice that a company's success does not necessarily need to be built on "996" and "wolf culture."

Allowing employees to work happily and with dignity, and letting them create based on "passion," can equally, and even better, create huge commercial value.

Because happiness itself is the most powerful and sustainable productivity.

Ding Lei's success provides a new, warmer, and more civilized model for Chinese entrepreneurs. It tells us that the essence of business, in the end, is to make people's lives better. And this "people" includes not only users, but also the employees who create the products, and the entrepreneurs themselves.