Qihoo 360

About Qihoo 360

In 2005, entrepreneurs Zhou Hongyi and Qi Xiangdong founded Qihoo 360 with a disruptive idea for China's internet market. Instead of selling antivirus software, they gave it away for free. This "freemium" model was the foundation of their business, allowing them to build a massive user base quickly. The company monetized this user base not by charging for security, but through online advertising and other internet services built around their popular 360 Safe Guard software and 360 Secure Browser. The strategy was highly effective. By January 2011, the company had over 300 million active users. This rapid growth paved the way for a major financial milestone: an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011. This event marked Qihoo 360's arrival as a significant player in the tech industry. However, the company's journey on the US stock market was not permanent. In 2016, Qihoo 360 was taken private and delisted from the NYSE. Two years later, in a strategic move to align with its home market, the company re-listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange through a reverse merger, emerging as 360 Security Technology. This return to China valued the company significantly higher than its US valuation, cementing its status as a major force in China's domestic technology and cybersecurity landscape.