Tencent Holdings Limited is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate. Ma Huateng and four co-founders started the company in November 1998.
Tencent operates WeChat with over one billion monthly users and holds stakes in more than 600 companies.
Headquartered in Shenzhen's Nanshan District, Tencent is publicly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
About Tencent
Sector
Technology
Industry
Internet & Entertainment
CEO
Ma Huateng (Pony Ma)
Website
tencent.com
Headquarters
Shenzhen, China
Founded
November 1998
Status
Public (HKEX: 0700)
Tencent Founders
Ma Huateng (Pony Ma)
Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO
Zhang Zhidong
Co-Founder, Former CTO
Xu Chenye
Co-Founder, Chief Information Officer
Chen Yidan
Co-Founder, Former Chief Administrative Officer
Zeng Liqing
Co-Founder, Former Senior Vice President
Tencent History
1998
Ma Huateng and four classmates from Shenzhen University founded Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd.
1999
Released OICQ instant messenger, later renamed QQ after a trademark dispute with AOL.
2004
Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and raised approximately $200 million through its IPO.
2011
Launched WeChat (Weixin), which combined messaging, social networking, and mobile payments in a single app.
2018
Surpassed $500 billion in market capitalization, becoming the first Asian tech company to reach that threshold.
FAQs
Who owns Tencent?
Prosus (a subsidiary of South Africa's Naspers) is Tencent's largest shareholder with about a 25% stake. Co-founder Ma Huateng holds roughly 8.4%. The remaining shares are held by institutional and public investors on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Is Tencent an American company?
No. Tencent is a Chinese company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It was incorporated in the Cayman Islands but all founding members are Chinese, and its primary operations are based in China.
When did Tencent come out?
Tencent was founded in November 1998 by Ma Huateng and four co-founders in Shenzhen, China. The company launched its first product, the OICQ instant messenger, in February 1999.
Who made Tencent logo?
Tencent's wordmark logo was designed in-house by the company's own design team. The custom typeface is based on Fabre Sans Pro and Soyombo Bold, with modified contours and a distinctive italicized style.