In a world consumed by digital chaos, BNBU alumnus Lang Qixu took a different path. The 2012 Culture and Creative Management graduate turned Tide from a niche app into a mental wellness brand serving 40 million users, becoming a pioneer in China's mindfulness movement.

LOGO of Tide

From PM to Mindfulness Pioneer: A Journey Within

Before 2016, Lang Qixu was a senior product manager at Alibaba, designing features to hook users' attention. Then one morning, he questioned himself: "Is my whole job just making users stay a minute longer? Is this the life I want? Is this the real me?"

That moment of doubt changed his life. He recalled childhood days in the countryside. "I'd sit in the yard all day, hearing birds, cicadas, wind, air, sometimes a plane overhead. I could see myself clearly, watching myself just sitting there."

Wanting to build a product "he could believe in that truly helped users," Lang Qixu left Alibaba with partners to start his own venture.

It wasn't easy. After two failed attempts, he ended up anxious, stressed, and severely insomniac. Then he rediscovered mindfulness meditation. It wasn't accidental. Back at BNBU, he had taken electives on the subject. "A Harvard teacher came and offered courses on meditation and Buddhism. I was intrigued and joined," he recalls. "That course gave me a new lens, a worldview, a way of seeing life."

A recent photo of Lang Qixu

The Birth of Tide: Turning Personal Experience into a Product Solution

Practicing mindfulness helped Lang Qixu recover and showed him a new possibility. "As a product manager, I wondered if I could turn this experience into a product that helps more people."

In February 2016, Tide 1.0 launched. Overseas apps like Calm and Headspace were out but not yet mainstream. China's market was nearly empty. Lang Qixu saw the opportunity. "City people face stress and anxiety every day. That's a fundamental need."

Early challenges were tough. "Seven years ago, how could we convince users to pay for a product that exceeded expectations?" Lang says. "Everyone felt tomorrow would be better. Why pause to meditate?"

The turning point was 2020. The pandemic changed everything. "Before COVID, meditation was unfamiliar to many. Our job was to raise awareness." After the pandemic, stress rose. Young people faced job struggles. Mid-career people faced layoffs. "They realized the only thing they could control when the world was spinning fast was their own mind and health."

Product Philosophy: Less Is More, Not More Is More

In a digital world filled with notifications and red dots, Tide goes the opposite direction. It insists on simple design, refusing to add new anxieties for its users.

"We are building a product that helps people find calm and relief from anxiety. So how do we avoid creating new anxiety through our daily product design and operations?" This is the question the team thinks about every day. Lang Qixu shared a small example. "In product design, how do we guide users to discover new features without covering the screen with little red dots? How do we write a campaign message that is engaging enough but does not cause anxiety?"

Tide's choice of sound as its medium was intentional. "Sound is universal. Natural sounds help people connect with nature." The team is very selective, choosing neutral, natural sounds. "It's like home cooking. Not fancy, but you can have it every day."

This restraint has paid off. Tide has won App Store Trend of the Year, Huawei's HMS Best App Award, and made Bloomberg Businessweek's 2024 50 list.

User Stories: The True Meaning of the Product

Lang Qixu recalls a user who became dependent on sleeping pills due to insomnia. Tide helped her greatly. "She said, 'I used to lack confidence and even thought about ending my life. After each session, I feel more grateful for life.'"

Another user kept reporting a bug. The team thought it was a small issue until Lang checked her social media. She was a chemotherapy patient. "She uses our product every night because chemo is so painful. She needs it to fall asleep."

These stories remind the team of their responsibility. "You never really know what your users are going through. When you see such vivid examples of people who truly need your product, it's a wakeup call."

Entrepreneurship as Inner Work: Between the Many Versions of Oneself

Lang Qixu compares his startup journey to a river. "In this moment, the next, and the one after, I am in this river." Building Tide has been a journey of knowing himself. "At first I relied on intuition and luck. But I realized that wasn't enough. I needed to understand myself to make better choices."

Lang doesn't think making a wellness app makes him a perfectly calm person. "Some people want to join our team because they think we're all peaceful like the product. I tell them the product is one thing, but the team is another."

"We still face real problems like hiring, growth, and challenges. Just like everyone else." This honesty is their team's foundation. "What matters is staying real. I don't see myself as some spiritual guide, nor do I think making this product changes who we are."

Tide team's office

Future Vision: From App to Ecosystem

Tide has grown from a mobile app into multiple spaces, partnering with NIO, Li Auto, and Xiaomi to turn car cabins into meditation rooms. It also launched a watchOS app, a "meditation room on the wrist."

Looking ahead, Lang says the team is building an AI journaling product for global markets while deepening their focus on mental wellness. "We'll keep exploring how to combine Apple's tech with AI to deliver a more personalized wellbeing experience."

How BNBU Liberal Arts Education Cultivates Cross-Boundary Mindset

As a BNBU Culture and Creative Management graduate, Lang Qixu says liberal arts education gave him the ability to think across boundaries. "BNBU doesn't just teach narrow skills. It opens your mind and shapes your character."

This background helps him see products and life from many angles. "Building Tide has been a journey of knowing myself. It shifted me from 'why me' to 'I'm already here, learning about myself through it.'"

On BNBU's 20th anniversary, Lang's story proves the value of its liberal arts education. It builds not just knowledge, but the ability to reflect and create meaning. In anxious times, he has created not just an app, but a space where 40 million people can rest their minds.

Written by Chen Chang, Class of 2024, Master of Media Management, BNBU

Guangzhou Moreless Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Moreless is a technology company focused on mental upgrade and physical and mental well-being. With passion and dedication, we create lifestyle products and brands that "make life healthier and happier" for users around the world. Core members of Moreless come from renowned companies such as Alibaba, Kingsoft, and Douban. We believe in the power of simplicity and calmness, and firmly believe that technology should bring warmth to the world and help people become more complete human beings. Here, we are straightforward, professional and rigorous, embrace diverse perspectives, and grow together.

Industry: Internet Products
Location: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

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