Ex‑Xiaomi Executive Wang Teng Warns Commenters: “Don’t Joke About Lei Jun” — Will Block Repeat Offenders

Incident

Wang Teng (王腾), the former head of Xiaomi (小米) China marketing and ex‑general manager of the Redmi (红米) brand, sparked a fresh wave of attention after publicly warning followers not to joke about Xiaomi founder Lei Jun (雷军) in his social‑media comment threads. Wang posted a product‑manager recruitment notice for his new startup and, when a commenter suggested “let Mr. Lei try this job” in a jocular tone, Wang replied that such teasing would not be tolerated and that repeat offenders would be blocked. The exchange went viral on Chinese tech circles and was reported by ifeng (凤凰网).

Background

Wang’s brusque response comes after a turbulent career turn: it has been reported that in September 2025 Xiaomi Group issued an internal notice saying Wang was dismissed for leaking company secrets and for conflicts of interest. Despite that controversy, Wang reportedly launched a new sleep‑health company, Jinri Yixiu (今日宜休), in early January and has recruited a core team drawn largely from domestic tech giants such as Xiaomi (小米) and Huawei (华为). The startup is said to be focusing on sleep‑related consumer devices and services, a fast‑growing niche in China’s health‑tech market.

Wider context

Why does this matter beyond an online spat? In China’s tightly watched tech ecosystem, former big‑tech executives moving into startups attract scrutiny — for reputational reasons, potential IP concerns and investor nerves alike. Social‑media boundaries around jokes about prominent founders also reflect a broader cultural and corporate sensitivity: should online platforms police humour about public figures, or do such warnings chill everyday banter? The episode is a small window into how China’s tech personalities manage public image amid ongoing regulatory and market pressures.

It has been reported that the ifeng post includes a platform disclaimer noting the content was uploaded by a third‑party user on its Dafenghao service and that the site is only providing storage services.