Chen received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Tsinghua University and his doctoral degree in computer science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chen's prior working experience includes internships with Google, Yahoo Inc. and IBM in the United States. Chen also served as chief technology officer of Xinyoudi Studio prior to joining Pinduoduo. He served as Pinduoduo's chief technology officer since 2016 and as director from February 2017 to July 2018. Under his leadership, Pinduoduo has generated RMB 1.67 trillion gross merchandise value across the year of 2020.