Early in his career, Xu interned at Square, Inc., and worked for McKinsey & Company, eBay, and PayPal.

His mother, Julie Cao, was[6] a doctor in China who later opened acupuncture and medical clinics in Champaign and the San Francisco Bay Area.

[1][10] Early in his career, Xu interned at the financial services and digital payments company Square, Inc. and completed business development work for the e-commerce app RedLaser.

DoorDash's initial public offering in 2020, which Xu has been credited for leading,[12] made him a billionaire at the age of 36.

[22][23][24] Signatories to the Giving Pledge, he and his wife Patti have made significant donations in support of Berkeley, Northwestern, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

[9] He has described himself as an "avid" Golden State Warriors and basketball fan,[28][29] and has credited the sport and television for helping him learn English.