Jack Ma (Alibaba), Pony Ma (Tencent) and Robin Li (Baidu) are now a thing of the past. The new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs has a completely different profile: they were born after the economic reforms, have never experienced absolute poverty and have studied in an education system that favored science and mathematics.
Four new entrepreneurs in particular, the “Fantastic Four” (as they are called in their homeland) are quietly reshaping the global technological balance. It is no longer a question of copying the West, but of innovating in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and robotics. And Xi Jinping knows it well, so much so that he personally invited them to a high-profile symposium. The new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs represent China's real challenge in its technological competition with the USA. Let's see together who they are?
The Political Baptism of New Chinese Entrepreneurs
It's not every day that you get invited to a symposium chaired by the President of the People's Republic of China. Yet, that's exactly what happened in Liang Wenfeng di DeepSeek e Wang xingxing di Unitree last month. These Chinese entrepreneurs are part of a select group of local innovators who have had the opportunity to engage directly with Xi Jinping.
Wang, just 35 and the youngest entrepreneur at the meeting, proudly told Xi that his humanoid robot company and his team were “born and raised in China.” Pretty patriotic, right? The Chinese president responded in an equally patriotic tone by stressing that the country's innovation requires the contribution of younger generations, according to the official Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily.
Fanfare aside, I am struck by how strategic this generational passing of the baton is. It is not a simple natural change, but a precise political strategy that aims to enhance new technological talents as assets in the global competition against the United States. And this, beyond everything else, is very relevant.
From poverty to prosperity: two generations compared
The contrast between the old and new guard of Chinese entrepreneurs is striking and reveals much about the epochal transformations that China has undergone in recent decades.
Unlike the previous generation of Chinese entrepreneurs who grew up with memories of absolute poverty (think of the aforementioned Jack Ma from Alibaba, Robin Li Yanhong of Baidu and Pony Ma Huateng (Tencent) China's new tech czars were born after the country had already begun its “reform and opening up” phase under Deng Xiaoping, when “class struggle” was abolished and private enterprise encouraged.
The dates say it all: Wang of Unitree was born in 1990, Zhang Yiming of ByteDance in 1983, Liang of DeepSeek in 1985 and Wang Tao of DJI in 1980. They grew up in a period remembered as the most liberal and open since the founding of the People's Republic of China, during which traditional social barriers were broken down and science, engineering and mathematics education spread throughout the country's public school system.
The new tech generation: children of reforms
What makes this new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs so different is not only their age, but the entire cultural, economic and political context in which they were formed. They are the true children of Deng's "reform".
They have not had to struggle with hunger or extreme poverty. They have not experienced China's international isolation. Instead, they have benefited from an education system strongly oriented towards science and technology, which has produced millions of highly skilled engineers and technicians.
They grew up in an era when China was already emerging as a global economic power. For them, competing with the West is not a pipe dream, but an everyday reality. And perhaps it is precisely this mentality that makes them such a danger to Silicon Valley.
Strategic Sectors: Where New Chinese Entrepreneurs Shine
China's "Fantastic Four" entrepreneurs are not simply replicating their predecessors' success in established sectors such as e-commerce or social media. Instead, they are aiming straight for the most advanced and strategically relevant sectors of the future.
DeepSeek is developing generative artificial intelligence models that can compete with American ones. Unitree is at the forefront of humanoid robotics, a field that could revolutionize industrial manufacturing in the coming decades. DJI has already conquered the global drone market. You already know everything about ByteDance and TikTok, both the “joys” and the recent “pains”.
It seems clear to me that this is not a coincidence, but the fruit of a national strategy that aims to position China as a leader in the technological sectors of the future, those that will define the geopolitical balance of power in the coming decades.
State support: a win-win partnership
Unlike some of their predecessors (we all remember the temporary “disappearance” of Jack Ma in 2020 after his criticism of financial regulators, and his “return” 3 years later), these new Chinese entrepreneurs seem to enjoy a privileged relationship with government authorities, a sort of “nourishment” received since birth.
The fact that they were invited to a high-profile meeting with Xi Jinping shows that the Chinese government sees them as strategic allies in its technological competition with the United States. In exchange for entrepreneurial freedom and support, they are expected to be loyal and aligned with national goals.
It is perhaps the highest point of the “Chinese-style” model of capitalism: neither completely liberal nor rigidly statist, but a pragmatic hybrid that at the moment seems to work surprisingly well in terms of technological innovation.
The challenge of Chinese entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley, which is now (perhaps) copying in turn
There is no doubt that Silicon Valley continues to dominate in many technology sectors, but these new Chinese entrepreneurs are quickly catching up. In some fields, such as commercial drones with DJI, they have far surpassed American competitors.
Their rise represents a fundamental challenge to American technological hegemony. The original technologies emerging from the “Celestial Empire” can truly compete with, and surpass, American ones on a global scale.
It remains to be seen whether this time the relationship has reversed: after all, the race to the “kiss of the ring” What is Trump's move by all Big Tech leaders, if not an attempt to close ranks?
The Future of Chinese Innovation
Looking ahead, it’s hard not to wonder what impact this new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs will have on the global tech landscape. Will they continue to climb the global rankings, directly challenging American giants? Or will they end up being constrained by the same authorities that support them today, should their interests diverge?
What is certain is that they represent a new and potentially disruptive phenomenon. They are the standard-bearers of a China that is no longer content to be the “factory of the world”, but aspires to become a leader in technological innovation.
And the fact that they have caught the direct attention of Xi Jinping suggests that the Chinese government is betting heavily on their success. In an age where technology is increasingly a geopolitical competition ground, the “Fantastic Four” are not just successful entrepreneurs, but real national assets in the great chess game between China and the United States.
