Cheng Yixiao
From GIF tool to 1-billion-user short video platform, redefining China's content ecosystem through engineer culture and inclusive algorithms
Cheng Yixiao was born in 1985 and graduated from Tianjin University's computer science department, a quintessential engineer-entrepreneur. In 2011 he founded GIF Kuaishou, initially just a tool for creating and sharing GIF animations. In 2012 he co-founded with Su Hua, transforming the product from a GIF tool to a short video community, completing a key product transformation in 2013. Kuaishou's core differentiation lies in its algorithm design philosophy: rather than maximizing exposure for top content, it distributes traffic more evenly to ordinary creators, giving everyone a chance to be seen. This inclusive algorithm gave Kuaishou tremendous success in China's third and fourth-tier cities and rural areas, accumulating a user base distinctly different from Douyin. In February 2021, Kuaishou listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising approximately $5.4 billion, making it one of Hong Kong's largest tech IPOs in history. Cheng Yixiao has consistently upheld engineer culture, believing technology is the fundamental means to solve product problems, and has driven large-scale AI and recommendation algorithm R&D within Kuaishou.
Methodologies
- Inclusive Design Principle - Product design should actively eliminate inequality, giving marginal users and long-tail creators fair participation opportunities
- Engineer-Led Product Method - Have engineers deeply participate in product decisions, replacing subjective judgment with technical feasibility and data validation
Key decisions and timeline
- Founds GIF Kuaishou - Starting from solving a specific technical problem is often the best product starting point
- Partners with Su Hua, Relaunches Kuaishou - Finding complementary co-founders is often the key to breaking through growth bottlenecks
- Completes Short Video Community Transformation - Critical product transformation requires decisiveness; you cannot waver between two modes
Beliefs and mental models
- Belief 1 - Cheng firmly believes that content platform algorithms should not only serve top content creators but should give every ordinary person a fair chance of exposure. Kuaishou's distribution algorithm deliberately suppresses the head effect, distributing traffic more evenly to long-tail creators. He believes this is not just a business strategy but a moral commitment to content ecosystem health—a platform where only a few shine will ultimately lose authenticity and diversity.
- Belief 2 - Cheng believes the core of engineer culture is solving problems with data and technology, not intuition and authority. He promotes engineers leading product decisions within Kuaishou, believing technology-driven product iteration creates longer-term competitiveness than market-driven approaches. He personally maintains the habit of writing code to this day, leading by example in maintaining engineer culture.
- Belief 3 - Cheng believes the best products all go through an evolution from tool to community. GIF Kuaishou entered as a tool, accumulating the first batch of users and usage scenarios, then gradually evolved into an emotionally connected community through the introduction of social features. He believes tools solve efficiency problems while communities create belonging—the combination of both creates truly sticky platforms.
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