Jerry Yang helped build the web. He started a big site called Yahoo. He also helps new companies grow. He gives money to help schools. He wants to help people. Do you like using the web?
Jerry Yang is a computer expert. He was born in Taiwan. Later, he moved to America. He only knew one English word when he arrived. That word was "shoe." He learned to speak English well in three years.
Jerry went to a big school called Stanford. There, he met a friend named David. They made a website called Yahoo. This site helped people find things on the web.
Jerry also met a man named Jack Ma. They walked along the Great Wall of China. Later, Jerry helped his company buy part of Jack's company. This was a very smart move.
Jerry helps many new companies grow. He also gives money to schools. He and his wife gave much money to Stanford. They also help an art museum.
Jerry works hard to help people. He helps start groups to fight racism. He wants to make things better for everyone.
Jerry Yang is a famous computer programmer. He was born in Taiwan. When he was young, he moved to California. At first, he only knew one English word. That word was "shoe." He learned to speak English well in three years.
Jerry went to Stanford University. There, he met David Filo. In 1994, they made a website. It was a guide to the web. They named it Yahoo! Yahoo! grew very fast. It helped people find websites easily. Jerry was the leader of Yahoo! for a time.
Jerry also met Jack Ma in China. They walked along the Great Wall. Later, Jerry helped Yahoo! invest in Jack's company, Alibaba. This was a very good deal for Yahoo!.
Jerry now helps new companies grow. He uses a firm called AME Cloud Ventures. "Ame" means "rain" in Japanese. He also gives much money to help others. He and his wife gave $75 million to Stanford. They also gave $25 million to an art museum. Jerry helps fight racism through new groups. He wants to make the world better.
Jerry Yang is a famous computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan, on November 6, 1968. When he was a young boy, his family moved to San Jose, California. At first, he only knew one English word, which was "shoe." He worked hard and became fluent in English in about three years.
He later attended Stanford University. He earned two degrees in electrical engineering there. While at Stanford, he met David Filo in 1989. They also went to Japan for a six-month program in 1992. It was there that he met his future wife, Akiko Yamazaki.
In 1994, Yang and Filo started a new project. They made a website called "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web." This site was a directory that helped people find other websites. As it became popular, they renamed it Yahoo! Inc. By the fall of 1994, it had 100,000 unique visitors. In 1995, the company received a $2 million investment from Sequoia Capital.
Yang and Filo were even called "Chief Yahoo." The company went public in April 1996 with 49 employees. Yang later served as the CEO from 2007 to 2009. He left the company in 2012.
During a trip to China in 1997, Yang met Jack Ma. Ma was a tour guide who showed Yang the Great Wall of China. The two men discussed how the web might grow. Ma started a company called Alibaba a few months later.
In 2005, Yahoo! bought a 40% stake in Alibaba for $1 billion. This was a very smart move. In 2012, Yahoo! sold some of that stake for $7.6 billion. Later, the company made another $9.4 billion from Alibaba's 2014 IPO. Many people call this one of the best investments ever made in China.
Yang's work also involved some difficult times. In 2005, news broke that Yahoo! helped Chinese authorities arrest a journalist named Shi Tao. The journalist had used a Yahoo email to share information. Yang said the company had to follow local laws to do business there. This led to much criticism from groups like Reporters Without Borders.
Yang later apologized to the journalist's mother in a hearing. He also helped start the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund. This fund provides legal support to people who speak out online. He wanted to make things right for the families involved.
Today, Yang helps many new technology companies. He is a founding partner of AME Cloud Ventures. The name "Ame" means "rain" in Japanese. His firm has funded more than 50 startups, like Zoom and Evernote.
He and his wife also give a lot of money to help others. They gave $75 million to Stanford University. They also gave $25 million to the Asian Art Museum. In 2021, he helped start The Asian American Foundation. This group works to stop racism and help Asian Americans.
Jerry Yang is a prominent computer programmer and internet entrepreneur. He is best known as the co-founder of Yahoo! Inc. Yang is also a successful venture capitalist. A venture capitalist is someone who provides money to new companies. He currently works as a founding partner at AME Cloud Ventures. His work has helped shape how people use the internet today.
Yang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, on November 6, 1968. His mother was a professor of English and drama. His father passed away when Yang was only two years old. In 1978, his mother moved the family to San Jose, California. When he first arrived, Yang only knew one English word: "shoe." He worked hard to learn the language. He became fluent in English in about three years. He later attended Stanford University. He earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering.
In 1994, Yang and David Filo began a new project at Stanford. They created a website called "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web." This site acted as a directory for other websites. As more people used it, they renamed the company Yahoo! Inc. By the fall of 1994, the site had 100,000 unique visitors. In April 1995, Sequoia Capital invested $2 million into the company. Tim Koogle was hired as the first CEO. Yang and Filo were given the title "Chief Yahoo." The company went public in April 1996 with 49 employees.
Yang made a very significant investment in the company Alibaba. In 1997, Yang traveled to China and met Jack Ma. Ma was a tour guide who showed Yang the Great Wall of China. The two men discussed the future growth of the web. In 2005, Yahoo! purchased a 40% stake in Alibaba. This cost $1 billion plus the assets of Yahoo! China. In 2012, Yahoo! sold a portion of that stake for $7.6 billion. The company earned another $9.4 billion during Alibaba's 2014 IPO. This is considered one of the best investments made by an American company in China.
Yang's career also included difficult legal and ethical challenges. In 2005, news reported that Yahoo! cooperated with Chinese authorities. This cooperation helped the arrest of a journalist named Shi Tao. Shi Tao had used a Yahoo email to share information. Yahoo! provided IP addresses to Chinese security agencies. Yang stated that the company had to comply with local laws. This led to heavy criticism from groups like Reporters Without Borders. Yang later apologized to Shi Tao's mother during a Congressional hearing. He also established the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund to support online dissidents.
In 2008, Microsoft tried to buy Yahoo! for $44.6 billion. This offer was a 62% premium over Yahoo!'s market value. The negotiations were very difficult. Yang did not want to sell the company. Because the deal failed, Yahoo!'s stock price dropped significantly. This led to criticism from investors and several lawsuits. Yang eventually stepped down as CEO in 2009. He left Yahoo! entirely in January 2012. After leaving, he focused on AME Cloud Ventures. The name "Ame" means "rain" in Japanese. His firm has funded more than 50 startups, including Zoom and Evernote.
Yang and his wife, Akiko Yamazaki, are also known for philanthropy. Philanthropy is the act of donating money to help others. In 2007, they gave $75 million to Stanford University. This money helped build a research building focused on sustainability. They also donated $25 million to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. This was the largest donation in the museum's history. In 2021, Yang helped co-found The Asian American Foundation. This is a $250 million initiative. It works to address racism and provide services to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.