Xiaomi Group's founder and chairman, Lei Jun, was seen at a popular breakfast street in Wuhan on the morning of June 15th. He first picked up some local bean skin noodles, then enjoyed a full set of Wuhan specialties including hot dry noodles, fried dough rings, and mung bean soup, sitting on a small stool by the roadside to eat.
Later that morning, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Youth Development Forum, Lei Jun shared two key pieces of advice with young people. His first point was to find something you are truly passionate about and stick with it, which he considers his most important life lesson. He believes that only with passion can one be willing to invest and truly persist long-term, as genuinely valuable endeavors are often difficult. Turning what you love into a career makes the entire process feel less like hard work and more like endless fun.
To illustrate, he mentioned a recent 15-hour live stream where he drove the new Su 7 from Beijing to Shanghai. Starting at 4 a.m. and driving for 15 hours straight while live-streaming, many expressed concern about the grueling schedule. However, Lei Jun explained that being in a car meticulously crafted by his team, showcasing its range and features to netizens, made the experience enjoyable rather than arduous. He emphasized that if you are doing what you love, the process can be infinitely pleasurable. His core message was that one must understand and love their field to truly excel in it.
His second piece of advice was to be guided by ambitious goals—to dare to dream big and act boldly. He encouraged setting high targets, even if they seem impossible at first, and then breaking them down step by step, tackling each part diligently. He reflected on the transformative changes at Xiaomi over the past five years, attributing this to a profound six-month reflection initiated on the company's tenth anniversary. During this period, they questioned the company's purpose, origins, and future direction.
From this reflection emerged a lofty goal: to become a global leader in next-generation hardcore technology over the next decade. Guided by this vision, Xiaomi committed to investing 100 billion yuan in research and development over five years, focusing intensely on core technologies. Ultimately, the company invested 105.5 billion yuan. This substantial investment enabled breakthroughs from zero to one in various fields, including automotive, semiconductors, intelligent manufacturing, robotics, and foundational large models.
During his speech, Lei Jun mentioned his deliberate choice to have breakfast on the streets of Wuhan that morning and took the opportunity to promote the city. He stated that choosing and putting down roots in Wuhan is an undoubtedly worthwhile life decision. He extended an invitation to talented youth and engineers, highlighting that Xiaomi and Kingsoft have a research and development team of nearly 10,000 people in Wuhan and warmly welcome dreamers to join them in creating exciting products.