--- title: "The former \"most expensive CEO\" donates 200 million to his alma mater" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/282052968.md" description: "Lenovo Group Chairman and CEO Yang Yuanqing donated 200 million yuan to his alma mater Shanghai Jiao Tong University on April 6 and promoted a new round of strategic cooperation between the company and the school, with an investment of 300 million yuan over the next five years. This donation coincides with the school's 130th anniversary celebration, and the funds will be used for the renovation of old buildings and to support research and talent cultivation in the field of artificial intelligence. Yang Yuanqing's wealth comes from his success at Lenovo, with his compensation reaching 22.386 million USD in the 2024/25 fiscal year. Despite the company's impressive performance, it faces challenges such as rising component costs" datetime: "2026-04-08T13:41:47.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/282052968.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/282052968.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/282052968.md) --- # The former "most expensive CEO" donates 200 million to his alma mater Yang Yuanqing, who first opened the door to the world of coding thanks to generous donations of computers from alumni, is now giving back to his alma mater with a "generous donation" of 200 million yuan. On April 6, Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group, returned to Shanghai Jiao Tong University and donated 200 million yuan to his alma mater in his personal capacity. At the same time, Yang Yuanqing also promoted a new round of strategic cooperation between Lenovo Group and Shanghai Jiao Tong University: an investment of 300 million yuan over the next five years to achieve an upgrade in school-enterprise collaboration. The confidence behind Yang Yuanqing's generous return to his alma mater comes from the wealth he has accumulated over many years of hard work. In the "2026 Hurun Global Rich List" released in March, Yang Yuanqing was listed again with a wealth of 7.5 billion yuan. As the current leader of Lenovo Group, Yang Yuanqing has repeatedly topped the Forbes list of CEO salaries for Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies and has even been dubbed the "most expensive CEO" by the outside world. In the fiscal year 2024/25 (ending March 31, 2025), Yang Yuanqing received a total compensation of 22.386 million USD (approximately 160 million yuan) from Lenovo Group. However, about 14.598 million USD of this was long-term incentive compensation. Just before Yang Yuanqing's return to his alma mater, Lenovo Group announced positive performance news. In the recently concluded fiscal year 2025/26, the company is expected to exceed 560 billion yuan in revenue, setting a new historical high. At the same time, AI-related businesses have become an important growth engine for the company. However, beneath the glamorous surface, Lenovo Group also faces challenges such as rising component costs due to supply-demand imbalances, declining gross margins, and ongoing uncertainties regarding tariffs. **Lenovo Group's "top leader" generously donates 200 million to alma mater** On the afternoon of April 6, coinciding with the 130th anniversary celebration of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a significant donation signing ceremony was held at the Wenbo Building Conference Center on the Minhang campus. On that day, Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group and an alumnus of the Computer Science undergraduate program of the class of 1981 at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, returned to the land where he once spent his youth and donated 200 million yuan to his alma mater in his personal capacity. It is reported that this funding will be used to support the renovation of the old building of Teaching Building 3 on the Xuhui campus. After the renovation, the building will be used to support research innovation and talent cultivation in the field of artificial intelligence. At the same time, Lenovo Group and Shanghai Jiao Tong University also reached a new round of strategic cooperation, investing 300 million yuan over the next five years, focusing on three major directions: research cooperation, talent cooperation, and investment incubation. In his speech, Yang Yuanqing stated that he recently learned that the Teaching Building 3 on the Xuhui campus, which has a history of over 60 years, faces limitations such as insufficient space, making it difficult to meet the research needs of cutting-edge disciplines like artificial intelligence. He felt it was his duty to provide financial support. Before the donation signing ceremony began, Yang Yuanqing also specially returned to the Xuhui campus to revisit Teaching Building 3 with his former teachers and classmates, reminiscing about the days spent studying hard and pursuing technological dreams Yang Yuanqing remarked, "The third teaching building is where I first touched a computer in my life. At that time, there was only one computer in the entire school, donated by our alumnus Dr. Wang An. But it was that one computer that planted a seed in my heart: how wonderful it would be if everyone could have a computer! I also want to learn from Senior Wang An, to remember my roots and give back to my alma mater." Yang Yuanqing expressed his hope that after the renovation of the third teaching building is completed, it will provide tangible support for research innovation and talent cultivation in the field of artificial intelligence at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, helping the university cultivate more internationally top-notch AI talents and make greater contributions to national technological innovation. Radar Finance noted that this donation is not Yang Yuanqing's first act of giving back to his alma mater. Previously, he had reached out to his alma mater twice, demonstrating his deep affection through practical actions. Going back to 2015, Yang Yuanqing donated 10 million yuan to his alma mater and, together with his classmates from the 1981 Computer Science Department, established the Computer 85 Fund and the Yang Yuanqing Education Fund. Over the past decade, this fund has awarded scholarships and teaching awards totaling over 6.3 million yuan, rewarding 136 outstanding students and 11 young teachers, some of whom have grown into leaders of national-level research projects. In 2021, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yang Yuanqing again donated 100 million yuan to his alma mater, establishing the most powerful scientific computing center among Chinese universities at that time—"Siyuan No. 1." To date, this research "super brain" has supported over 1,200 research projects and helped publish more than 1,100 high-level papers, including 59 in CNS main journals and sub-journals, becoming a leading domestic and internationally renowned research computing platform. At the same time, Yang Yuanqing has also promoted the development of school-enterprise cooperation. In 2021, Lenovo Group reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Over the past five years, the two sides have established three university-level joint laboratories in smart devices, artificial intelligence, and Siyuan 2030, collaborating in the three major fields of "personal intelligence," "enterprise intelligence," and "material and equipment innovation," winning a series of prestigious honors, including the Shanghai Science and Technology Progress First Prize. Behind Yang Yuanqing's generous acts of giving back to his alma mater, his wealth has also attracted widespread attention from the outside world. In the "2026 Hurun Global Rich List" released in early March, Yang Yuanqing reappeared on the list with a wealth of 7.5 billion yuan. **Striving at Lenovo for over 30 years, the "most expensive CEO" earns over 100 million** Public information shows that Yang Yuanqing was born in 1964 in Hefei, Anhui Province. In 1981, he was admitted to the Computer Science and Engineering Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1986, Yang Yuanqing chose to continue his studies and obtained a master's degree in computer science from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1989. That same year, fate brought Yang Yuanqing to the door of Lenovo. Yang Yuanqing revealed, "Lenovo is my first job and so far, my only job." According to media reports, initially, Yang Yuanqing wanted to find a job in Zhongguancun as a stepping stone for his PhD studies in the United States. Coincidentally, Lenovo was recruiting high-level talents on a large scale for the first time, and he was successfully admitted to a newly established department selling SUN workstations. After joining Lenovo, Yang Yuanqing started as an ordinary salesperson. With his outstanding performance, he quickly stood out and moved up to a management position. Since then, he has been on the fast track of career development, continuously getting promoted, until he became the Chairman and CEO of Lenovo Group. Recalling his career at Lenovo, Yang Yuanqing expressed his feelings, "Coming from a technical background, I joined Lenovo, starting as an ordinary salesperson, then becoming a department manager, a general manager of a business unit, a vice president of the company, and now sitting on this hottest seat." According to Tianyancha, under Yang Yuanqing's leadership, Lenovo has transformed into a technology giant with operations covering 180 markets worldwide. It is reported that Lenovo's core business is currently composed of three major business groups: the IDG Intelligent Devices Group, focusing on smart IoT; the ISG Infrastructure Solutions Group, focusing on intelligent infrastructure; and the SSG Solutions and Services Group, focusing on industry intelligence and services. Notably, as the current "top leader" of Lenovo Group, Yang Yuanqing receives a considerable salary from the company. He has long ranked at the top of the Forbes list of CEO salaries for Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies and has topped the list multiple times. According to Lenovo Group's 2024/25 annual report, Yang Yuanqing's total compensation for the period was $22.386 million, equivalent to approximately 160 million RMB (based on the exchange rate as of March 31, 2025), while his total compensation for the previous fiscal year also reached $19.417 million. However, a closer analysis of Yang Yuanqing's compensation structure reveals that a significant portion of his compensation comes from long-term incentive rewards. For example, his compensation for the 2024/25 fiscal year includes a salary of $1.331 million, a discretionary bonus of $5.904 million, long-term incentive rewards of $14.598 million, a pension and employer contributions to the pension plan of $56,000, and other benefits of $497,000. **Bright Performance Hides Concerns** As Yang Yuanqing generously gives back to his alma mater, Lenovo Group is attracting the attention of the capital market with its impressive performance. At the rally held by Lenovo Group on April 1, Yang Yuanqing revealed, "The recently concluded 2025/26 fiscal year is expected to become the best year in the company's history, with annual revenue expected to exceed 560 billion yuan." According to Tonghuashun iFinD, in the first three fiscal quarters of the 2025/26 fiscal year, Lenovo Group achieved revenue of $61.486 billion, a year-on-year increase of 18.03%, and a net profit attributable to the parent company of $1.391 billion, a year-on-year increase of 7.46%. In the third fiscal quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year, Lenovo Group's revenue reached $22.204 billion, with a year-on-year growth of over 18%, significantly exceeding market consensus expectations and setting a new historical high; The adjusted net profit increased by 36% year-on-year, with the profit growth rate reaching twice that of revenue growth. In this fiscal quarter, all three major business segments of Lenovo Group achieved strong double-digit growth. Among them, the Intelligent Devices Group (IDG) recorded revenue of $15.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14%, maintaining industry-leading profitability levels. The growth rate of personal computer sales has exceeded the market for ten consecutive quarters, driving the market share for the fiscal year 2025 to a historic high. The Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) achieved revenue of $5.2 billion, with a year-on-year increase of over 31%, reaching a historic high and further approaching profitable growth. The Solutions and Services Group (SSG) reported revenue growth of 18% year-on-year to $2.7 billion, achieving double-digit growth for the nineteenth consecutive quarter, while the operating profit margin further increased to 22.5%. It is worth mentioning that AI-related businesses have become an important growth engine for Lenovo Group. In the third fiscal quarter, Lenovo's AI-related revenue grew by 72% year-on-year, accounting for 32% of the group's total revenue. Among them, AI PC revenue achieved high double-digit growth, AI smartphone revenue achieved triple-digit growth, AI server revenue achieved high double-digit growth, and AI service revenue achieved triple-digit growth. However, behind this impressive report card, Lenovo faces multiple hidden concerns that cannot be ignored. Yang Yuanqing admitted that component costs increased by about 40% to 50% in the third fiscal quarter compared to the previous quarter, stating, "In the fourth fiscal quarter, the increase may be even more exaggerated, potentially doubling. It seems that not only memory but also Flash, SSD, and even CPUs are rising in price." Yang Yuanqing expects that component cost prices will continue to rise in 2026. The financial report shows that in the first three fiscal quarters of 2025/26, Lenovo Group's gross margin decreased by 0.9 percentage points year-on-year to 15.1%, mainly affected by changes in product mix and the lower profit margins of the Infrastructure Solutions Group. It is noteworthy that the Infrastructure Solutions Group is the only "bleeding point" among Lenovo's three major business groups. Despite its revenue scale growing by 31% year-on-year in the third fiscal quarter, it remains in a loss state, recording an operating loss of approximately $11 million. In the third fiscal quarter, Lenovo Group implemented a strategic restructuring plan for the Infrastructure Solutions Group, resulting in a one-time restructuring cost of $285 million. Through this plan, Lenovo expects to accelerate its return to profitability in the next fiscal year and enhance profitability, striving to achieve annual net cost savings of over $200 million for three consecutive fiscal years in the future. In addition, some voices suggest that from a business structure perspective, Lenovo's AI business still centers on hardware sales. AI PCs, AI servers, and AI smartphones are all built on traditional hardware with simple AI functionalities added. Their so-called "Tianxi AI" and "Qira Intelligent Body" are more of system-level shallow applications and do not touch on the core algorithms or large model development of AI. Although liquid cooling technology has achieved 300% growth, it remains essentially a hardware supporting technology, and there are already strong competitors in the industry such as Huawei and Sugon, meaning Lenovo has not formed a technological monopoly In response to the aforementioned challenges, Yang Yuanqing provided his answer at the pledge conference, stating that Lenovo aims to become an "AI-native company," meaning that all products, solutions, services, and business processes will be designed with AI at their core, rather than simply being added on. Yang Yuanqing also defined the new fiscal year as the "Year of AI Delivery," with the goal of scaling the implementation of personal intelligence and enterprise intelligence products and solutions. As Lenovo transforms into an "AI-native company," it will also strive towards achieving a revenue target of $100 billion in the next two years. 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