Tencent Holdings launched QQ, originally called OICQ, in 1999.
Tencent was founded in Shenzhen in 1998 by Ma Huateng and several co-founders. Its first major product was an instant-messaging service modeled partly on ICQ, an earlier internet messaging program. Because of trademark concerns, OICQ was renamed QQ.
QQ became one of China's most important online communication platforms, offering text messaging, user profiles, games, music, and other services. Its distinctive penguin mascot became strongly associated with Tencent's early growth.
WeChat is a different Tencent product. Tencent introduced WeChat in 2011, and it later became the company's flagship mobile platform, combining messaging, social features, payments, and mini-programs. QQ remains historically significant because it established Tencent's user base before the smartphone era.