Li Auto Executives Flock to Found Embodied Intelligence Startups

[Personnel Changes] Eight core executives from Li Auto have left the company in rapid succession within six months, collectively launching ventures in embodied intelligence.

Key Developments: Li Auto Alumni Ignite the Embodied Intelligence Sector

Zhijian Power was founded by Jia Peng, former head of Li Auto's intelligent driving division, with Wang Kai (former CTO of Li Auto) serving as Chairman. The company has completed five funding rounds in just six months, raising a total of RMB 2 billion, and now holds a valuation exceeding USD 1 billion. Another seed-stage startup was co-founded by Lang Xianpeng (also formerly head of Li Auto’s intelligent driving unit) and Ren Geng, former president of Alibaba Cloud, focusing on full-stack embodied intelligence and positioning itself as a competitor to Tesla’s humanoid robot.

Industry Impact: Talent from Automotive Intelligence Accelerates Shift Toward AI Hardware Frontier

Including Qin Dong, former head of chip SoC development, eight core technical executives from Li Auto departed between late 2025 and early 2026, highlighting the deep synergy emerging between smart automotive technology and embodied intelligence, and driving top talent toward more advanced, physical AI application scenarios.