Screenshot of a statement seen on the Weibo account of Xiaomi, responding to an online rumor about Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of the Chinese tech firm, on April 26, 2026.

A Chinese social media user was detained for reportedly fabricating and spreading rumors about Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Chinese technology company Xiaomi, the company said on Sunday, after false claims circulated online alleging that he had been “blocked by car owners defending their rights” during a recent livestreaming session.

According to a statement published on Xiaomi’s official Weibo account on Sunday, the company said that an online user surnamed Li fabricated and spread rumors about Xiaomi and its founder in a WeChat group.
After reporting the case to the police, they swiftly launched an investigation and apprehended the individual responsible, the company said.

Li was given 10 days of administrative detention for deliberately spreading rumors and disrupting public order, according to the company statement. Li was also ordered to issue a written apology, the National Business Daily reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.


The rumor originated from an incident on April 17, when Lei Jun conducted a long-distance car endurance livestream test of the first-generation Xiaomi SU7 from Beijing to Shanghai. During the trip, the team briefly stopped at a service area in Dongtai, East China’s Jiangsu Province.

On April 18, the social media user under the name “Li Zhihua” posted a video showing Lei sitting inside a Xiaomi SU7, with a number of people gathering outside the vehicle, and he claimed in the caption that he had been “blocked in the car by rights defenders.” The video quickly gained traction online and triggered widespread discussion.

The claim was later countered by clarification from Xu Jieyun on April 19. Xu, special assistant to Xiaomi’s chairman and deputy general manager of the company’s strategic marketing department, responded to a post explaining that those waiting outside the vehicle were Lei Jun’s fans and Xiaomi car owners, not people blocking the vehicle to defend their rights.

Xu said the vehicle had just arrived at the rest area at the time, and Lei was inside recording mileage and energy consumption data from the testing, while he himself was seated in the back. He added that multiple Xiaomi fans and car owners were present at the scene.

“We will never tolerate such malicious acts of fabricating rumors out of thin air. Those who create and spread false information will be held accountable,” Xu wrote in the post.

Subsequent videos circulating online from the same day showed that when Lei stepped out of the vehicle, fans greeted him enthusiastically, with some presenting him with a football jersey from the Su Super League, a popular amateur football league in China's Jiangsu. Lei responded with a smile and a wave.

In the company’s statement, Xiaomi said that it respects and welcomes public feedback and supervision, but will take legal action against any acts involving the fabrication or deliberate dissemination of false information that damage the company’s reputation or its founder.


Global Times