Chen started at the
state-owned property developer Shanghai Lujiazui Group in 1994, holding management positions in the
public relations office before becoming secretary to the chairman. In 1998, he became the vice director of the office of the president at Kinghing Trust & Investment before resigning in 1999. That same year, Chen was second on the
Hurun Report's "rich list", was voted
China Central Television's "Rising Business Star", and was featured in
MIT Technology Reviews
Innovators Under 35 list. Shanda Group went private in early 2012, with Chen, his wife, and his brother keeping a combined 57% stake. Tianqiao Chen and his family sold all their stakes in Shanda Games in November 2014, after which Shanda Group refocused on investing. It also had property operations in China and North America and stakes in companies such as
Sotheby's. Chen has invested in the venture funds Propel(x) and Ubiquity Ventures. Ranked on various rich lists, Chen personally had $4 billion in net value in 2017 and was ranked as the 93rd richest person in China, according to the
Hurun Report. In 2018, Chen purchased 500,000 acres in
Oregon. The same year, the
Committee of 100 gave Chen an award for Lifetime Achievement as Tech Entrepreneur. == Politics ==