Wang Xiaochuan:The Underestimated Insister

Things change fast in the internet era， and few work with a single company for more than a decade as Wang Xiaochuan has done. In 1999， as a junior at Tsinghua University， he started interning at ChinaRen， a website for alumni to communicate with each other. After Wang’s graduation in 2000， ChinaRen was acquired by Sohu.com， a major Chinese web portal. Ever since， he has worked with Sohu.com， Inc. He once served as Sohu’s vice president， and is now CEO of Sogou， a subsidiary of Sohu.com， Inc. After his decade at the company headquartered in Wudaokou， near the east entrance to Tsinghua University， Wang is jokingly called the “goalkeeper of Tsinghua’s east gate.”

Many journalists who have interviewed Wang use the word “slow” to describe him. However， this “slow” person led a team in developing such technology-centric products as Sogou Search Engine， Sogou Pinyin input software， and Sogou Explorer in five years despite the fact that his company lacks certain technological genes.

On August 9， 2010， Sogou became an independent subsidiary of Sohu.com， Inc. It gained greater steam after receiving strategic investments from Alibaba Group and Yunfeng Capital. Wang was appointed CEO of Sogou.

In 2013， Chinese internet giant Tencent invested US$448 million in Sogou， and transferred its own search services and QQ input software to the company. The breaking news shook the country’s internet market. Afterwards， the estimated value of Sogou shot up to US$1.2 billion. As a result， Wang’s personal wealth compared with internet tycoons he once saw as role models.

The two financing operations are both credited to Wang’s personal efforts.

His achievements in product development reflect his acute foresight into trends in internet technology， while his successful capital operation showcases his unique ability to survive market competition.

However， Wang wasn’t born with this ability. In 1999， he partnered with a classmate to write a program. He found that the codes that his partner wrote weren’t as good as his. At that moment， he learned to compromise with imperfection. It is such a compromising attitude that has helped him survive intensive competition in the internet market.

Some wonder why Wang can always manage to get unexpected help from influential people at critical crossroads of life – once from Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma， and then from Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma.

In 2010， Qihoo 360 Technology Co.， Ltd. planned to invest in Sogou on the condition that Sogou would transfer its browser to Qihoo. According to Qihoo’s plan， Sogou would be divided into two companies， one responsible for browser business and the other for search engine business. However， the deal didn’t seem fair for Sohu. Wang recognized that money wasn’t what Sohu lacked， but strategic investors. After waiting a month， Wang finally met Jack Ma and spent 40 minutes persuading him to invest in Sogou. Later， he helped Sogou split from Sohu to become an independent subsidiary.

In 2013， Qihoo once again tried to acquire Sogou. The two companies even signed a letter of intent. However， Wang eventually persuaded Tencent to invest in Sogou， allowing it to retain its independence as a company.

Once， a journalist wrote， “We all underestimated you [Wang] in the past.”

In fact， Wang wasn’t a goalkeeper， but a striker on the college soccer team. He runs fast and once scored two crucial goals in a match.

“For me， the development of the internet in China over the past two decades has been like a sumptuous banquet，” Wang remarks.“Rather than just enjoying the banquet， I’m preparing a course.”