Ren Zhengfei

Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei, China’s most important tech giant, is breathing a little easier these days. The Chinese tech titan, on a U.S. trade blacklist since 2019, is now at the forefront of China’s drive for tech self-sufficiency. Ren previously called the sanctions a “live-or-die” moment for the company, which at one point sold more phones than Apple. Huawei’s return to prominence started in 2023 with the debut of a new premium smartphone featuring a China-made chip. The company is now diving into strategic products like AI chips and electric cars. It’s been good business for Huawei, which generated nearly $120 billion in revenue last year.