The World Is Different Because of You: Kai-Fu Lee's Autobiography

“Imagining a world without you and comparing it to the world with you to create beneficial change due to your attitude and choices, the professor said, is the philosophical meaning of life’s existence. Making a difference, maximizing life’s impact, provided me a way of thinking and a worldview.”

“Our goal is to build, invest, and incubate from scratch, guiding and tracking them until they are fully developed.”

“In the past, I liked “make a difference in the world because of you.” Now, that is still my life goal. However, I care more about whether, besides having a grand ideal, I make everyone I meet happy. Do I enjoy every accidental encounter, and do I enjoy every moment of connection with fate? Steve Jobs once said, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” This phrase has become my motto, reminding me every day to see clearly what is important in life. All glory and pride, embarrassment and fear will vanish before death, leaving only what truly matters—those most beautiful experiences in life.”

“My father was born in Sichuan and lived in Taiwan during his later years. He never forgot his love for his motherland. Whether he was buried in writing books about China early in life or expressing the wish for me to return home while living with me in the US in his later years, I could profoundly feel the deep emotions in his heart. Before he passed away, my father told me by his bedside that he dreamed of picking up a piece of white paper from the water, which had the words “Love for China” written on it. My father’s love for China shook me and gave me the courage and determination to choose.”

“This event, like a convex lens, focused on the beauty and ugliness of human nature and highlighted the powerful force of “following the heart’s choice.” When all the storms passed, what remained was a stronger life and a more determined will. Looking back on this time, I feel it shines like gold because it gave me a more precious experience in life: facing the lows of life, how to choose – whether to wallow in sadness or rise against the tide? These experiences were all used in my subsequent four years at Google China.”

“When you listen to the voice of your heart, you will go all out to strive and work hard for that voice until you reach the other shore.”

“I feel a kind of energy gradually filling my heart. This energy gives rise to many whimsical ideas about products from the depths of my mind. Some of my thoughts often gallop in the air but get submerged by the enormous workload in front of me. Gradually, I hope I can have a space not confined to the tight schedule at hand, where I can relax and let these whimsical ideas take root and grow so they can bring “surprises” to people’s ways of living. Furthermore, I want to gather all the clever ideas about technology into a box, then let them collide and spark, and finally, under the guidance of experienced mentors, form independent teams and start operations. My ideal is to make this box a “Harry Potter’s magic book,” producing the magic of “changing some details of the world.””

“The pursuit of efficiency made me neglect my health. Being buried in work every day caused me to lose sight of the subtle beauties of life. Subconsciously quantifying the value of everything made me forget the connections with the ordinary and the opportunity to relax with fate. I cared too much about the future, which made me sacrifice the appreciation of many present moments. In my pursuit of efficiency, I became cold and indifferent to things not in the plan.”

“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.”

“■Value is not how much you have, but what you leave behind. ■Lead your life with your dreams and ideals, with a mindset of gratitude, sincerity, and helping others realize their dreams, and with persistence, fearlessness, and optimism. If you do these, fate will bestow upon you everything you deserve. ■Do not be confused by dogma, blindly following dogma means living in the results of other people’s thoughts. Do not let others’ opinions drown out your inner voice. Most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Your heart and intuition already know what you truly want to become; everything else is secondary.”

“After that, I no longer feared letting go. I believe that as long as I start from the heart, each choice conceals a new world. When an opportunity arises, as long as I correctly evaluate my potential and integrate it with my understanding of life, I can seize this new world.”