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Billionaire Profile
Liu Debing
Global Rank
#217

Image: SiliconANGLE theCUBE | CC BY 3.0 | via Wikimedia Commons

Liu Debing

CEO, Zhipu (Z.ai)
CHINA
Real-Time Net Worth
$13.766B
Estimated based on Zhipu (Z.ai) stock value as of May 3, 2026
0% (24h)
Age
50
Source
AI
Industry
technology
Citizenship
CHINA

Biography

Liu Debing, a prominent figure in the technology sector, is the chairman of Zhipu, also known as Z.ai, a Chinese AI firm. His net worth is estimated at $2.1 billion as of January 2026, stemming from his stake in Zhipu. His wealth source is AI, and he is a self-made billionaire. Liu Debing's career includes experience as an engineer at Technicolor (China) Technology and work at Tsinghua University before founding Zhipu in 2019. The company's successful IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January 2026 was a major achievement, raising $558 million. Zhipu's core technology involves GLM series of large models, supporting text generation, semantic understanding and cross-modal reasoning. He is also a veteran in the computing technology industry. Liu Debing's vision is to advance AI and make a global impact with his company, especially in Southeast Asia.

Fact Checked
Verified by Editorial Team
Live Data
Updated 5/3/2026

Wealth Over Time

In-Depth Profile

Early Life

Information about Liu Debing's early life is limited in the search results, however, we know that he worked for almost two decades at Tsinghua University, which is also President Xi Jinping's alma mater.

Rise to Success

Liu Debing is the chairman and cofounder of Zhipu (also known as Z.ai), a Chinese AI model company. In 2019, he co-founded the firm with Zhang Peng. In January 2026, the company went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising $558 million. Based on his stake in Zhipu, Forbes estimates Liu Debing is worth $2.1 billion.

Key Business Strategies

Zhipu's core technology is its independently developed GLM series of large models. The company is focusing on affordable AI services, a move it says will trigger a global AI price war. They are also building "sovereign AI" infrastructure with other countries, and have expanded into Southeast Asia. In H1 2025, revenue was driven by MaaS, reaching $27 million, but the company reported a net loss of $330 million due to research and development spending.

Philanthropy

No information regarding Liu Debing's philanthropy was found.

Career Milestones

2019

Co-founded Zhipu (Z.ai)

Liu Debing co-founded the Chinese AI firm, which would later become a major player in the AI industry.

2026

Zhipu IPO

Zhipu went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January 2026, raising $558 million.

Controversies & Challenges

2025

U.S. Government Entity List

Zhipu was added to the U.S. government's entity list, which restricts it from acquiring advanced American technology.

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