Cheng Congwu and Lei Yijun were from the same hometown. Both came from humble beginnings in a small town, acing exams and clawing their way to the top.
After finishing graduate school, he joined a state-owned enterprise, then dove into the world of business in '94. It took him over a decade of hard work to finally establish a foothold in the digital map industry.
In reality, Gaode had three founders. Before Cheng Congwu became CEO, the one holding the reins was the former CEO, Hou Jun. But on the eve of the company's IPO, the three were locked in constant internal conflict.
In the end, to ensure the company could go public smoothly, Hou Jun voluntarily stepped down from the CEO position.
Cheng Congwu successfully took his place, hired a batch of professional executives from outside the company, and sidelined the other founder as well.
Relying on his extremely strong-arm tactics and networking skills, he finally secured his position as CEO of Gaode.
