# Bin Zhao

> Bin 'Tony' Zhao is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Agora (NASDAQ: API), the Real-Time Engagement Platform-as-a-Service he built after 20 years on the frontlines of internet voice and video - from being a founding engineer at WebEx to CTO of JOYY with 300 million users. Founded in 2013, Agora now powers over 80 billion minutes of real-time engagement monthly, supplied the audio backbone for Clubhouse's viral moment, and in 2025 launched a Conversational AI Engine bridging human voice and large language models.

- **Role:** Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman at Agora
- **Organizations:** Agora, JOYY (YY Inc.), NeoTasks LLC, WebEx Communications
- **From:** China
- **Nationality:** Chinese-American
- **Education:** Bachelor's in Radio and Electronics, Peking University
- **Known for:** Founded Agora in 2013 - now processing 80+ billion minutes of real-time engagement monthly, Led Agora's Nasdaq IPO raising $425 million in June 2020, Named one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs (2018)

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Graduated from Peking University with a degree in Radio and Electronics
- **1997** — Joined WebEx Communications as a founding engineer; led audio/video and backend architecture development
- **2004** — Left WebEx to found NeoTasks LLC, serving as Founder, Chairman, and CTO
- **2008** — Joined JOYY Inc. (YY) as CTO and Board Director; helped scale the platform to 300+ million users
- **2013** — Founded Agora in Silicon Valley, packaging RTC technology into simple SDKs for global developers
- **2015** — Launched Agora's HD Real-Time Communication cloud service across all major platforms
- **2018** — Named one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs
- **2020** — Led Agora's Nasdaq IPO (NASDAQ: API) at $20/ADS, raising $425 million
- **2021** — Agora's infrastructure powered Clubhouse during its viral global growth phase
- **2024** — Agora achieved GAAP profitability in Q4 2024
- **2025** — Launched Agora Conversational AI Engine with OpenAI integration for real-time voice AI experiences
- **2026** — Agora infrastructure supported largest live shopping stream in US history (MrBeast/Whatnot: 583K concurrent viewers)

## Achievements

- Founded Agora in 2013 - now processing 80+ billion minutes of real-time engagement monthly
- Led Agora's Nasdaq IPO raising $425 million in June 2020
- Named one of Goldman Sachs' 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs (2018)
- Founding engineer at WebEx Communications - helped build early internet video conferencing
- Scaled JOYY (YY) to 300+ million users as CTO
- Powered Clubhouse's audio infrastructure during its viral growth
- Achieved GAAP profitability at Agora in Q4 2024
- Launched Conversational AI Engine integrating real-time voice with LLMs (2025)
- Built infrastructure supporting 583,000 concurrent viewers for largest US live shopping stream

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Agora infrastructure supports 583,000 concurrent viewers for the largest live shopping stream in US history with Whatnot and MrBeast
- **2025-02** — Agora launches Conversational AI Engine with OpenAI integration for real-time voice AI experiences
- **2024-12** — Agora achieves GAAP profitability in Q4 2024
- **2024-01** — Bin Zhao comments publicly on 90%+ drop in large model API costs signaling new AI era
- **2023-01** — Featured on Quality Investing Podcast discussing competitive advantages and market positioning

## Links

- Website: https://agora.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tozhao
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgoraIO/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bin-zhao
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-30