Chinese IT's 'alpha wolf ' releases new book with insights into his life

Zhou Hongyi's new book reveals the entrepreneur's path to success. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A collaborative autobiography by Zhou Hongyi, founder of the Chinese internet security company Qihoo 360, features anecdotes from the entrepreneur's life and his business choices.

Dian Fu Zhe (The Game Changer) was released on Nov 7, days after his company acquired a domestic company listed on Shanghai's A-share market for 50.4 billion yuan ($7.6 billion), marking his company's return to the Chinese stock market from the New York Stock Exchange.

The book has been co-authored by journalist-turned-biographer Fan Haitao who did a master's degree in oral history at Columbia University.

"It was a mark of success for a Chinese technology company to be listed in the United States, so many people were curious to know why we returned after five years," Zhou, 47, writes in his book.

"The (Edward) Snowden incident made me think about the grave challenges in cybersecurity faced by a nation," he continues.

"As a cybersecurity company, we need to stand in line with national interests, especially when many government organizations and banks are using our services."

In an email interview, Zhou says he thinks that competition in the IT industry has entered its second stage, with artificial intelligence and the internet of things being two major trends.

The first stage was more about using internet services to increase connectivity in society.

"With internet access becoming an indispensable public service like electricity and water, cybersecurity will influence offline security as well," he says, citing the WannaCry ransomware incident in May that affected many banks, hospitals and universities worldwide.

This is not the first time that Zhou has surprised the industry with his unconventional moves, and the title of the new book seems to echo that.

Zhou was born in the small county of Qichun in Hubei province in 1970. But his family moved to Zhengzhou, Henan province, where Zhou spent most of his childhood. He was a "headache" for his teachers, the authors write.