# Frank Wang

> Frank Wang, also known as Wang Tao, is the Chinese engineer and founder of DJI. Based in Shenzhen, he turned university work on helicopter flight control into a drone and imaging business, helped bring ready-to-fly aircraft to consumers with the Phantom in 2013, and supported student engineering through RoboMaster. His career connects HKUST research, Shenzhen manufacturing and a continuing interest in making complex machines easier to use.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at DJI
- **Organizations:** DJI
- **From:** Hangzhou, China
- **Nationality:** Chinese
- **Education:** BEng in Electronic Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, MPhil in Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- **Known for:** Founded DJI in 2006 and led its development of consumer and commercial drones and aerial imaging equipment., Oversaw the introduction of DJI’s Phantom consumer quadcopter in January 2013., Joint recipient with Li Zexiang of the 2019 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award for civilian drone and aerial imaging contributions.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Born in Hangzhou, China.
- **2003** — Joined HKUST’s electronic and computer engineering department.
- **2006** — Completed his bachelor’s degree and founded DJI.
- **2011** — Completed his MPhil; thesis titled Control systems for autonomous helicopters.
- **2013** — DJI launched the original Phantom on January 7 at $679.
- **2015** — DJI established an R&D team in Hong Kong Science Park; RoboMaster competition developed as an outlet for student engineering.
- **2017** — DJI announced its Technology and Engineering Emmy award.
- **2019** — Wang and Li Zexiang received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award.
- **2022** — DJI opened its Sky City headquarters in Shenzhen.
- **2026** — Received an inaugural HKUST Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in January; a long interview published in April explored his leadership and personal reflection.

## Achievements

- Founded DJI in 2006 and led its development of consumer and commercial drones and aerial imaging equipment.
- Oversaw the introduction of DJI’s Phantom consumer quadcopter in January 2013.
- Joint recipient with Li Zexiang of the 2019 IEEE Robotics and Automation Award for civilian drone and aerial imaging contributions.
- An inaugural recipient of HKUST’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — A LatePost interview, republished by Sina Finance on April 9, explored Wang’s changing approach to leadership, management and self-reflection.
- **2026-01** — HKUST honored Wang as one of three inaugural Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award recipients at a January 10 ceremony.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/frank-wang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21