BYD vs Datadog: Founders, CEOs and History
BYD was founded in 1995 by Wang Chuanfu, Lu Xiangyang and is led by Wang Chuanfu. Datadog was founded in 2010 by Olivier Pomel, Alexis Le-Quoc and is led by Olivier Pomel.
Company facts
Founders
BYD
Wang Chuanfu
Wang Chuanfu founded BYD in Shenzhen in 1995 with his cousin Lu Xiangyang to make rechargeable batteries for mobile phones.
Lu Xiangyang
Lu Xiangyang put up the early capital when Wang Chuanfu started BYD in 1995 and has sat on BYD's board ever since, now as a non-executive director. His stake in BYD made him one of China's richest people.
Datadog
Olivier Pomel
Datadog possesses a pragmatic, technical founding story, born out of frustration and intense, daily arguments between software developers and systems operations teams.
Alexis Le-Quoc
Alexis Le-Quoc is the Chief Technology Officer and a co-founder of Datadog, a cloud monitoring and security platform. He met his co-founder Olivier Pomel when both were students at École Centrale Paris.
CEOs and their tenures
BYD
- Wang Chuanfu1995–present
Founder, Chairman and President (CEO)
Wang Chuanfu has run BYD since founding it in 1995. He moved the company from phone batteries into cars in 2003, launched the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid in 2008, introduced the Blade Battery in 2020 and ended combustion-only car production in 2022.
Source - Lu Xiangyang1995–present
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Lu Xiangyang, Wang Chuanfu's cousin and a former banker, provided early capital for BYD in 1995 and has remained on the board, now as a non-executive director.
Source - Stella Li1996–present
Executive Vice President; CEO of BYD Americas and Europe
Stella Li joined BYD in September 1996 as a marketing manager for exports, opened its first overseas office in Hong Kong in 1997 and set up its European headquarters in 1999.
Source
Datadog
- Olivier Pomel2010–present
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Pomel is directly responsible for establishing and maintaining the companys successful, product-centric growth strategy and overarching operational direction.
Source - Alexis Lê-Quôc2010–present
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Alexis Lê-Quôc co-founded Datadog in 2010. As Chief Technology Officer, he designed the unified architecture that brought metrics, traces, and logs together, solving the silos between Dev and Ops teams that he experienced during his time at Wireless Generation…
Source - David Obstler2018–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he consistently managed the company's aggressive acquisition strategy (buying startups like Sqreen and Seekret) while maintaining rare GAAP profitability for a high-growth cloud company.
Source
Timeline: BYD and Datadog side by side
1995BYD
BYD founded in Shenzhen
Wang Chuanfu and his cousin Lu Xiangyang start BYD in Shenzhen with about 20 employees, making rechargeable batteries for mobile phones.
2000BYD
Becomes a leading NiCd battery maker
BYD becomes one of the world's largest makers of nickel-cadmium batteries, supplying major electronics brands.
2002BYD
Hong Kong listing
BYD lists its H shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under stock code 1211.
2003BYD
Buys Qinchuan and enters the car business
BYD acquires a controlling stake in Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile for about $37.4 million (CN¥269 million), gaining a car production licence and factory.
2008BYD
Berkshire Hathaway takes about 10%
Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy invests $232 million for about 10% of BYD, giving the company international credibility.
2008BYD
Launches the F3DM plug-in hybrid
BYD launches the F3DM, the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car, two years before the Chevrolet Volt.
2010BYD
Denza joint venture with Daimler
BYD and Daimler set up Denza as a 50:50 joint venture to build premium electric cars in China.
2010Datadog
Datadog Founded
Olivier Pomel and Alexis Le-Quoc found Datadog in New York to monitor cloud infrastructure and software systems.
2011BYD
Launches the e6 and lists in Shenzhen
BYD launches the e6 electric crossover, first used as a taxi in Shenzhen, and lists A shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (002594).
2012Datadog
Datadog Product Launch
Datadog launched its monitoring platform in 2012 after being founded in 2010.
2015Datadog
Acquired Mortar Data
Datadog acquired Mortar Data. Datadog acquired Mortar Data to strengthen its data analytics and processing capabilities.
2017Datadog
Log Management Added
Datadog acquires Logmatic.io and expands beyond infrastructure metrics into log management.
2019Datadog
Datadog IPO
Datadog goes public on Nasdaq under the ticker DDOG.
2019Datadog
Acquired Madumbo
Datadog acquired Madumbo. Datadog acquired Madumbo, an AI-powered testing platform, to add automated testing and quality assurance capabilities.
2020BYD
Launches the Blade Battery
BYD introduces the Blade Battery, an LFP cell-to-pack design that passes the nail penetration test without fire.
2021Datadog
Security Expansion
Datadog expands into cloud security and SIEM-style workflows, broadening its platform beyond observability.
2021Datadog
Acquired Sqreen
Datadog acquired Sqreen. Datadog acquired Sqreen, an application security platform, for approximately $200 million.
2022BYD
Ends combustion-only car production
In March 2022 BYD stops making combustion-only passenger cars and focuses entirely on battery EVs and plug-in hybrids.
2023BYD
Passes Tesla in quarterly BEV sales
BYD sells 3.02 million new energy vehicles in 2023, and its 526,409 battery EVs in the fourth quarter top Tesla's 484,507 for the first time in a quarter.
2023Datadog
Acquired Cloudcraft
Datadog acquired Cloudcraft. Datadog acquired Cloudcraft, a cloud infrastructure visualization platform.
2024BYD
Takes full ownership of Denza
Mercedes-Benz sells its last 10% of Denza in July 2024, leaving BYD as the sole shareholder of its premium brand.
2025BYD
Berkshire Hathaway exits
Berkshire Hathaway confirms in September 2025 that it has sold its entire BYD stake, ending a 17-year investment.
2025BYD
Becomes the world's top battery EV seller
BYD sells 2.26 million battery EVs in 2025 against Tesla's 1.64 million, and 4.6 million new energy vehicles in total.
2025Datadog
Revenue Reaches $3.427B
Datadog reports $3.427158B in 2025 revenue and about 8,100 employees.
2026BYD
Unveils Blade Battery 2.0 and FLASH charging
On March 5, 2026 BYD unveils the second-generation Blade Battery, which charges from 10% to 70% in about five minutes, and plans 20,000 FLASH charging stations in China by the end of 2026.
2026BYD
Overseas revenue passes China
In the first half of 2026 BYD's overseas revenue of ~$25.2 billion (CN¥181.3 billion) exceeds revenue from China for the first time, even as group revenue falls 7.1% to ~$47.9 billion (CN¥344.8 billion).
2026Datadog
First $1 Billion Quarter
Datadog reports Q1 2026 revenue of $1.006B (+32%), then $1.12B in Q2 2026 (+36%), and acquires Adaptive ML for its AI research lab.
Acquisitions
BYD
- Denza (remaining stake from Mercedes-Benz)2024Undisclosed
- Jabil mobile electronics manufacturing business (China)2023$2B
- Xi'an Qinchuan Automobile2003$32M
Datadog
- Propolis2026Undisclosed
- Adaptive ML2026Undisclosed
- Quickwit2025Undisclosed
- Metaplane2025Undisclosed
- Eppo2025Undisclosed
- Cloudcraft2023Undisclosed
Questions about BYD vs Datadog
Who is the CEO of BYD Company Ltd and Datadog, Inc.?
BYD Company Ltd is led by Wang Chuanfu and Datadog, Inc. is led by Olivier Pomel. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BYD Company Ltd founded vs Datadog, Inc.?
BYD Company Ltd was founded in 1995 — 15 years before Datadog, Inc., which was founded in 2010. BYD Company Ltd's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Datadog, Inc..
How many employees does BYD Company Ltd have compared to Datadog, Inc.?
BYD Company Ltd employs approximately 911,900 people, while Datadog, Inc. employs approximately 8,100. BYD Company Ltd has the larger workforce at 911,900 employees, compared to Datadog, Inc.'s 8,100. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are BYD Company Ltd and Datadog, Inc. headquartered?
BYD Company Ltd is headquartered in China and Datadog, Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded BYD Company Ltd and Datadog, Inc.?
BYD Company Ltd was founded by Wang Chuanfu, Lu Xiangyang. Datadog, Inc. was founded by Olivier Pomel, Alexis Le-Quoc.
Which company has a longer operating history — BYD Company Ltd or Datadog, Inc.?
BYD Company Ltd has been operating for approximately 31 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Datadog, Inc. has been in operation for around 16 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BYD vs Datadog overview