Automated System
Yang grew up in central China’s Changsha and studied computer science at Peking University and then at the University of Texas at Austin.
He developed his programming skills in five years at Google. Two years before leaving the company, he built an automated system for his girlfriend (now his wife), who was selling women’s accessories and other products on Amazon as a side business. The system fixed inventory, logistics, fulfillment and tracking of sales, and it began fulfilling 300 orders a day.
But he had to learn hardware from scratch when he started Anker. Mobile-phone batteries haven’t changed all that much since before smartphones. Dying batteries remain a bane of the digital age, and researchers are already looking for solutions.
So, although Anker’s chargers are a best-seller, Yang is already preparing for the day they will be obsolete, pushing products like Anker’s $14.99 wireless charging pads.
He learned the importance of constantly looking ahead from his mother, who gave up a job at a state-owned company to set up her own pharma business.
“She said: If you think this business is going to be something, then take my own money," Yang said. Now, to keep the business growing, Yang will have to stay relevant in a fiercely competitive global market.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.