Lu Heng: Internet Entrepreneur in Rugged Terrain

Lu Heng stands on a rocky outcrop under a vast, clear blue sky. He is wearing a tan blazer, white shirt and trousers, and his eyes are shielded by sunglasses. The terrain is rugged; large boulders border a view that recedes into what appears to be a very large, possibly dry, area. The tableau conveys openness and quiet strength, inviting us to imagine the story behind it.

Lu Heng has long been a key player in internet governance and digital innovation. In 2016 he established LARUS Limited, which introduced an IP leasing model to address the problem of IPv4 address exhaustion and support ISPs in underserved areas such as Africa and Asia. The company has issued over 10 million IPv4 addresses to customers in more than 60 countries. He champions ethical leadership and fair market practices as the foundation of economic advancement and as instrumental in bridging the digital divide worldwide.

The jagged majesty of the photograph’s backdrop evokes Lu Heng’s mission in the internet industry. The mountains give way to plains that feel wild and open-ended, echoing his efforts to address the very limited supply of IPv4 addresses and to connect regions that remained largely cut off from the digital world. The scale of the sky and land suggests the scope of his continued efforts on the global front to enhance and expand worldwide connectivity, and the artistic nature of this photograph symbolizes the vision and the quest that are so central to his role as a shaper of the internet governance arena.