Jean Liu

The world’s largest mobile transportation company is revolutionizing how people in China get from one place to another, and in doing so is solving some of China’s toughest social, economic, and environmental challenges.

A big reason why is Jean Liu.

As president of the startup Didi Chuxing, Liu has helped build a platform that offers a wide range of transit options, now serving a staggering 400 million users in more than 400 cities, while working on dozens of urban transportation projects to improve efficiency. Additionally, the company provides flexible job opportunities for over 17.5 million drivers.

Liu has been instrumental in accelerating Didi’s globalization process by establishing partnerships with the world’s leading ride-hailing companies. She also played a central role in Didi’s acquisition of Uber’s China business, a deal that attracted widespread praise upon its completion last summer.

Liu’s success has also reinforced the idea — not always popular or common in China — that women belong in the executive suite.

“Forty percent of our employees are women. The rate is higher than that of other tech companies in China and Silicon Valley,” Liu said. “In the internet era, the key to a successful business is understanding the customers’ expectations — and half our customers are women.”

Liu’s accomplishments have won praise from some of the biggest names in the tech world.

“Jean Liu is a disrupter, and not only through her ambitious effort to change the way people in China commute, travel and connect with one another,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “Jean has also built a company that is dedicated to serving the community around it.”

Despite her success, Liu stays motivated by focusing on goals that are much bigger than herself, or even her 6,800 employees, guiding the company to a higher purpose.

“Transportation is the lifeline of our cities. The artificial intelligence revolution in the way humans and things move around will redefine our physical world and our fundamental way of life,” Liu said. “We call on tech innovators, businesses and policymakers to work together to make sure this sweeping process benefits all our local communities and stakeholders.”