China’s most expensive divorce: Grindr owner pays $1.14 billion to his wife

Divorce can take a toll. For the Chinese tycoon behind the gay dating app Grindr, that toll comes to $1.14 billion.

北京——离婚有可能会造成不菲的代价。对同性恋约会软件Grindr背后的中国大亨来说，这个代价是11.4亿美元（约合76亿元人民币）。

Zhou Yahui, a Chinese internet mogul and billionaire, will have to transfer nearly 300 million shares of his company to his wife, Li Qiong, according to a statement from the company.

中国互联网巨头、亿万富翁周亚辉的公司发布的声明显示，他将不得不把公司近3亿股股份转移到妻子李琼的名下。

The document does not say why, but China's news media is widely abuzz with articles saying the two are getting a divorce.

这份声明没有透露其中的原因，但中国的新闻媒体纷纷发文章表示两人正在离婚。

That apparent split is the latest to show how divorces can have a significant impact on the commercial ventures of some of China's wealthiest business leaders.

离婚可以对中国最富有的一些商界领袖的业务带来多么大的影响，这桩分手事件成为了最新的一个例证。

Mr. Zhou, 39, earned his fortune developing web and mobile games. In January, he made headlines when his company, Beijing Kunlun World Wide Technology Share Company, purchased a controlling stake in Grindr for $93 million.

现年39岁的周亚辉靠开发网页和手机游戏积累起自己的财富。今年1月，周亚辉创立的北京昆仑万维科技股份有限公司以9300万美元的收购资金取得Grindr的控股权，让他登上报章头条。

In a Monday ruling, the Haidian district court in Beijing awarded Ms. Li 70.5 million of Kunlun's shares. Based on the most recent stock price, Ms. Li's shares are worth about $1.14 billion. The huge equity transfer would make this one of the most expensive divorce settlements in China to date.

北京海淀区法院在周一做出裁决，判定李琼获得7050万股昆仑万维股份。按最新股价核算，李琼持有的股份约值11.4亿美元。如此规模的股权转让，将使它成为中国迄今为止最贵的离婚案。

Neither Kunlun nor Grindr could be reached for comment on Thursday, which is a holiday in China.

周四正值中国的节日，时报无法在当天联系到昆仑或Grindr置评。

Resolving matters of the heart can be especially costly in China because many of China's billionaires derive a significant chunk of their personal wealth from equity shares in businesses they control.

解决情感问题在中国的代价可能会尤其高，因为许多中国富豪个人财富的相当大一部分来自他们控制的企业股份。

The well-publicized 2012 divorce of Wu Yajun, who founded Longfor Properties Company with her former husband, Cai Kui, is a notable case. Ms. Wu, once the richest woman in China, saw her wealth tumble by nearly $3 billion after she transferred about 40 percent of her shares in the company to her former husband.

广泛传播的龙湖地产创始人吴亚军与前夫蔡奎的离婚案就是一个有名的例子。将大约40%的公司股权转移给前夫之后，中国曾经的女首富吴亚军眼看着自己的财富减少了近30亿美元。

Tudou, a Chinese video streaming service, had to delay its 2010 initial public offering after Yang Lei, the former wife of its chief executive, Gary Wang, filed a lawsuit against him.

2010年，在当时的土豆网首席执行官王微的前妻杨蕾对他提起离婚诉讼之后，这家中国视频流媒体网站不得不推迟了上市的计划。

During the delay, Tudou's competitor, Youku, raised $203 million on the New York Stock Exchange, valuing the company at $3.3 billion. Tudou eventually went public with a valuation of $822 million.

在此期间，土豆网的竞争对手优酷网在纽约证券交易所上市，成功募集2.03亿美元资金，使公司估值达到33亿美元。土豆网最终上市时估值为8.22亿美元。

By comparison, Mr. Zhou may be emerging from his former marriage somewhat better off. After the equity transfer, Mr. Zhou will still hold on to 388 million shares in Kunlun, retaining a majority 35 percent stake in the company.

相比之下，周亚辉在脱离这段婚姻之后状况似乎还算好的。在完成股权转移之后，周亚辉将依然持有3.88亿股昆仑万维股份，占比35%，仍是股份最多的大股东。

According to the court filing, Ms. Li will not be able to cash out Kunlun's shares until Jan. 21, 2018, per conditions the company agreed to when it went public on the Shenzhen stock exchange in 2015.

这份法律文件显示，在2018年1月21日之前，李琼不能出售手中的昆仑万维股份，其依据是公司2015年在深圳证券交易所上市时做出的承诺。

Kunlun's board members and major personnel will stay the same, and Ms. Li will not be able to invest in competing businesses.

昆仑万维的董事会成员将保持不变，公司也不会有重大人事调整。李琼将不能投资与昆仑万维存在竞争的企业。

Source: New York Times