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Wang Xiaochuan (Chinese: 王小川; pinyin: Wáng Xiǎochuān; born October 3, 1978) is a Chinese computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sogou Inc., (Chinese: 搜狗) China’s No.2 Internet search engine. and a leading Artificial Intelligence company in China. Under his leadership, Sogou has developed essential products for the Chinese market, including Sogou Search, Sogou Keyboard and Sogou browser. Sogou Keyboard is currently the most popular input method in China on both PCs and mobile devices in terms of installation.
Early life and education
Wang was born in 1978 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. In 1994, he completed all proof of elementary geometry proposition for the first time in high school, using a microcomputer with Wu’s elimination method. In 1996, he won a gold medal at the 8th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).
Wang studied at Tsinghua University and earned Bachelor of Science and master's degrees in Computer Science and an EMBA degree there.
Founding of Sogou and career
Wang entered China’s Internet startup sector while he was still an undergraduate student. In 1999, he helped to create the online alumni directory of ChinaRen.com as a part-time technical manager. His work continued after ChinaRen.com was acquired and became part of Sohu. In 2003, after graduating from Tsinghua University, he formally joined Sohu, embarking on a number of successful product launches and rapid career advancement in the following years. He rose from senior technical manager to senior technical director, deputy president and senior vice-president, and CTO in the space of just six years.
In 2003, he established Sohu’s R&D Center, and launched Sogou Search in 2004. In 2006, he invented the Sogou Input Method, which later became China’s most popular input method, anchoring Sogou as China’s No.2 Internet property by user numbers. In 2010, after facilitating the spin-off of Sogou from Sohu, he started serving as the CEO of Sogou, opening a new chapter for the company. In 2013, Sogou secured a major investment from Tencent and acquired its Soso (search engine).
Honors
In 1996, Wang won a gold medal at the Eighth International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). In 2014, he was the winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur award of Ernst & Young China Entrepreneur of the Year.