"[1] While his parents wanted him to pursue a career in medicine, and he had a budding interest in literature, Yang decided to study computer science on the advice of a family friend who was a university professor.

[2][1] Yang spotted a newspaper advertisement for jobs at Lenovo while in Beijing performing research for his master's degree at the University of Science and Technology of China.

These qualities caught the attention of Liu Chuanzhi, who later promoted Yang to head Lenovo's personal computer business at just 29 years old.

[2] Yang believed that he would benefit from exposure to American business practices but Liu persuaded him to delay his plans for two years.

Yang decided on Lenovo implementing specific job descriptions with clear responsibilities and a system of performance evaluations used to determine annual bonuses.

At the time, most Chinese enterprises distributed bonuses of equal size to all employees, there was little sense of responsibility, and workers passively waited for superiors to issue instructions.

When Yang took over Lenovo's personal computer division, he strongly discouraged the use of formal titles and required staff to address each other by their given names.

Yang even required managers to stand outside their offices each morning to greet their employees while carrying signs with their first names.

He insisted on a more formal dress code and training all employees in telephone etiquette; Yang wanted his people to think and act like high-tech workers in developed markets.

Yang also set up a system to monitor the sales, inventory, cash flow, compliance, and pricing of distributors.

[2] In 2005, Yang Yuanqing undertook a deal with Microsoft to have Windows preloaded on most Lenovo computers sold in China.

Other manufacturers adopted this approach afterwards, partly due to Yang's substantial influence in China's technology industry.

The change was requested by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer to combat what they referred to as a rise in the number of pirated versions of Windows.

Critics attempted to smear Lenovo as controlled by the Chinese government and a potential vehicle for espionage against the United States.

Yang worried that fears about Lenovo's supposed connections to the Chinese government would be an ongoing issue in the United States.

In June 2006, Yang arranged to be seated next to C. Richard D'Amato, a member of the congressional committee that had earlier raised concerns about the security of Lenovo's products.

The company has a U.S. operational centre in Morrisville, North Carolina, the former home of IBM's personal computer business.

Yang has created a "performance culture" instead of the traditional Chinese work style of "waiting to see what the emperor wants.

According to Lenovo spokesman, Jeffrey Shafer, Yang felt that it would be the right thing to, "redirect [the money] to the employees as a real tangible gesture for what they done."

[6][7][8] Shafer also said that Yang, who owns about eight percent of Lenovo's stock, "felt that he was rewarded well simply as the owner of the company."

Yang said, "While the transaction is a personal financial matter, I want to be very clear that my decision to make this investment is based on my strong belief in the company's very bright future.

Past winners include Steve Jobs, Ted Turner, Doug Ivester, and Martha Stewart.

Yang said that while the internet has brought many advances it also brings new challenges such as protecting privacy and securing personal information.

[20][21] Additionally, Yang is a director of Baidu,[22] and sits on the board of visitors of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University.

The group is known for its "CEO Cancer Gold Standard," a workplace wellness program that promotes risk reduction, early detection, and effective treatment.

[24] In October 2015, the University of North Carolina announced a donation of US$1 million from Yang Yuanqing to fund biomedical research.