Rong360's new role for Ye Daqing: Linking AI, global resources, and the future of financial technology.

Rong360 co-founder and chairman Ye Daqing recently announced through an internal full staff letter that he will step down as CEO starting November 4, 2025, and will instead serve as chairman of Rong360 Inc. and Jianpu Technology Inc., focusing on long-term strategy, corporate governance, and global layout, supporting Rong360's growth in a different role: 1. Accompanying family, enhancing knowledge, and accumulating energy; 2. Focusing on three "links" -- linking financial technology with AI and blockchain, linking the two great countries on both sides of the Pacific, linking AI with humans; 3. Setting up venture capital and incubation projects related to AI, financial technology, and blockchain. And dedicating more time to the innovation, vitality, and influence of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, Silicon Valley, and the Chesapeake Bay. Meanwhile, Ethan Yisheng Gong, a seasoned manager in the digital banking and financial technology field, will take over as global CEO of Rong360 Inc., responsible for overall business promotion and strategic implementation. The internal full staff letter is as follows: Dear Ronglings, Rong360 has just celebrated its fourteenth birthday, like a teenager full of vitality and energy. As the company enters a new stage, the time is ripe, and I have a decision I want to share with you all: I will step down as CEO of Rong360 Inc. starting November 4, and in the future will serve as chairman of Rong360 Inc. and Jianpu Technology Inc., focusing more on the company's long-term strategy and corporate governance, steering the helm for Rong360's future global development. At the same time, I am delighted to announce that Ethan Yisheng Gong will join us as the new Global CEO of Rong360 Inc., leading the team forward. Ethan has deep experience in the financial technology field, having worked for over ten years at the leading US digital bank Capital One, accumulating extensive banking experience and an international perspective. Upon his return to China, he held core management positions such as Chief Risk Officer and Chief Operating Officer at several leading financial technology companies, with rich experience in strategic implementation, risk control, and operations. The board and I have full confidence in him. Please wholeheartedly support Ethan and together, let us write a new and exciting chapter for Rong360. Fourteen years, truly a magnificent and unforgettable entrepreneurial journey. In October 2011, we set out from Huaying Jiayuan residential building to establish Rong360; in 2017, Jianpu Technology was established and successfully listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Along the way, from the beginning of financial technology to its explosion, we have continued to adjust in the face of changes in industry policies and competitive landscapes; we have experienced two complete cycles and endured the tough test during the pandemic. Today, our perseverance, dedication, and beliefs have brought us to where we are. I sincerely thank each Rongling and all partners who have been with us, it is you who have turned this "impossible" into "possible." Looking back at these fourteen years, upon reflection, what we have done well is actually very few, with more imperfections, failures, and regrets. Entrepreneurship is not a smooth journey, but we have never stopped or lost sight of our original intentions. From 0 to 1, from adversity to breakthrough, we rely on perseverance, persistence, and the continuous "entrepreneurial spirit." As Masayoshi Son once said, "entrepreneurship is about constantly overcoming mountain peaks made of despair." Along this journey, we have climbed many mountains, crossed many rivers in disappointment, despair, and hope, and in the future, we will climb even higher mountains and cross even wider seas. Today, we stand at the foot of a new mountain, setting sail in a new sea. In the new era of deglobalization, and even in the new global structure led by the Group of Two (G2) of two great countries, resources such as technology and talent are being reorganized; the AI revolution is sweeping the world, innovation is reshaping every industry. For the financial technology field we are deeply engaged in, the opportunities brought by AI are more real, closer, and greater than ever before. Transformation brings challenges, but it is also a gift of the times. As the external world changes, we are changing too -- the organization is upgrading, the business is restructuring, the culture is regenerating. Our task is not to follow trends but to seize the times and create the future. In the future, I will continue to accompany everyone in a different manner. Just as the Google founders once said, I hope to play the role of a "proud parent" in the future -- offering advice and care, rather than daily nagging! I will spend more time on: 1. Accompanying family, enhancing knowledge, and accumulating energy; 2. Focusing on three "links" -- linking financial technology with AI and blockchain, linking the two great countries on both sides of the Pacific, linking AI with humans; 3. Setting up venture capital and incubation projects related to AI, financial technology, and blockchain. And dedicating more time to the innovation, vitality, and influence of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, Silicon Valley, and the Chesapeake Bay. This brings to mind a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupry, the author of "The Little Prince": "If you want to build a ship, don't call people to collect wood, assign tasks, and give orders. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and endless sea." In the past, I may have been more like the one assigning tasks, leading the team in building the ship together; in the future, I hope to be one who longs for the vast sea and endless universe together with everyone -- guarding our mission and ensuring that we always sail in the right direction. Job responsibilities may change, identities may change, but the mission will not change. My mission is to continue to promote Rong360's mission of "being everyone's financial partner" and Jianpu Technology's mission of "making life simpler and more inclusive" on a global scale and in the new era of AI. Finally, let us warmly welcome Ethan Yisheng Gong's joining, and let us together, with fourteen years of accumulation and passion, embrace the new chapter of Rong360 and Jianpu Technology! Thank you all for accompanying us these fourteen years. The road ahead is long, let us move forward together towards the future! Thank you, So long, and Stay connected ~~~ David Ye, a.k.a. Iron Entrepreneur