Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Netease
Search every verified Lei Ding interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Lei Ding, founder and CEO of NetEase, discussed the company’s first-quarter 2026 results during an earnings call on May 21, 2026. He stated that the board approved a dividend of USD 1.44 per share (USD 7.20 per ADS) for the quarter and noted that under a USD 5 billion share repurchase program, the company had repurchased 2.2 million ADS for approximately USD 2.1 billion as of March 31, 2026. Ding reported that the PC game *Journey Online* reached a new record of 3.9 million peak concurrent users in Q1, attributing the growth to the unlimited server expansion and steady performance of the time-based classic server. He also commented on the global expansion of *Where Winds Meet*, stating it held a 78% positive rating on Steam and ranked among the top two on Steam’s global top seller chart, indicating overseas player receptivity to the free-to-play, no pay-to-win model. Ding addressed the company’s approach to competition, saying, “We do not shy away from competition, but our focus is more on differentiation. Competition in our industry is not a zero-sum game.” He described upcoming titles, including *Sea of Thieves*, which he said is designed with characters at the heart of the experience and cosmetics customization as the core monetization model, and *Atlanta*, which he characterized as a genre breakthrough in the urban open-world space focused on immersive daily living experiences rather than map size or combat. Ding also highlighted NetEase’s environmental and governance efforts, noting a 12% year-over-year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an MSCI upgrade to a triple-A ranking, positioning the company as a leader among over 200 companies in the global media and entertainment industry.
“China is one of the countries with the most serious disasters in the world.”
“The number of global meteorological disasters have increased by 46 percent.”
“Earth observation is a powerful method to monitor the occurrences of the disasters.”
“In the past 20 years the error has reduced quickly, driven by more accurate and more assessed observations and improved forecast model resolution.”
“China is the first and the unique one who has such [hyperspectral] sounder on board geostationary satellites.”
“High spectral resolution infrared sounders with thousands of channels have become a major part of the assimilation system of many numerical weather prediction models.”
“China has the hyperspectral atmospheric vertical detection capability in both polar orbit and the geostationary orbit.”
“There are totally 19 meteorological satellites sent to space and now three operational works here now.”
“Observation from a geostationary orbit can get a large spatial coverage and higher temporal resolution for regional models, and it can provide critical information for forecasting storms.”
“2019 was an eventful year for NetEase — for the full year we grew our total net revenues by 16% to RMB 59.2 billion and increased our GAAP net income from continuing operations attributable to our shareholders by 60% to RMB 13.3 billion.”
“Our online games segment is the cornerstone of our business — despite having launched fewer games throughout the year we continued to grow our online games business at a healthy rate in 2019, with a 16% year-over-year increase driven by the steady performance of our long-standing titles.”
“We further expanded the reach of these IPs through the introduction of FWJ 3D in mid-December — the 3D version preserves classic gameplay and social systems while bringing brand new experiences to mobile users, and we are confident that over the long term the 3D version will show similar longevity and popularity.”
“We are also good at incubating new franchises built in-house — our younger IPs like Miyagi have shown strong growth and resonance with players, and we continue to introduce spin-offs and new content to expand these franchises.”
“Youdao made solid progress in 2019 — billings of Youdao online courses grew 125% for the year and over 200% in the fourth quarter, and we are beginning to benefit from economies of scale in this scalable online course model.”
“NetEase Cloud Music revenue hit a record high in the fourth quarter — membership revenue more than doubled year-over-year, and revenues from digital albums and live streaming also grew rapidly, with digital album sales demonstrating strong monetization for independent artists.”
Keynote Speaker - Lei Ding (THKL) ICALEPCS 2021.
In our special "Witness to History" series we will feature well-known figures in China's reform and opening-up. Ding Lei is the founder and CEO of NetEase.com. He founded NetEase in 1997 and became the richest individual in the Chinese mainland in 2003. In the tides of reform and opening up, he invested heavily in internet services such as online gaming, email services, e-commerce and even a music streaming service. Ding has now become one of China’s tech titans, and he believes the Internet is the best manifestation of a global community with a shared future. Subscribe to us on YouTube: htt…
The White House saga continues with a fight between the parties and another reshuffle in the cabinet. -- In our special "Witness to ...
Ding Lei, a CPPCC member and also the founder and CEO of NetEase shares his experience with us on our exclusive interview ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Lei Ding.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →