He worked four blue-collar jobs in his teens to stay afloat. Today, his fintech startup is worth $8 billion

January 19, 2026

TL;DR

Jack Zhang, CEO of Airwallex, views "burnout" as a foreign concept, having worked 100-hour weeks since age 16.
He moved alone from China to Australia at 15 to pursue better opportunities and support himself through university.
To pay for his degree, he worked blue-collar jobs such as washing dishes, bartending, and packing lemons, sometimes working 80-100 hours weekly alongside his studies.
Even now in his 40s, Zhang works approximately 80 hours a week at Airwallex, a company now valued at $8 billion.
His entrepreneurial journey included side businesses like a shipping company and a real estate firm, which made him a millionaire by his 20s.
A desire to build something he was passionate about, spurred by the birth of his daughter, led him to quit his banking job and co-found Airwallex.
The idea for Airwallex came from the inefficiencies they experienced with cross-border payments while importing supplies for a coffee shop.
Airwallex was officially founded in December 2015 with co-founder Max Li and other university friends.
As of the end of last year, the company achieved over $1 billion in annualized run rate revenue.
Zhang's future goal is to generate at least $10 billion in revenue by 2030.

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