Pony Ma and four co-founders established Tencent in Shenzhen in 1998.
Tencent was founded by Ma Huateng, commonly known as Pony Ma, together with Zhang Zhidong, Xu Cheney, Chen Yidan, and Zeng Liqing. Its first major product was OICQ, an instant-messaging service launched in 1999. Because the name resembled ICQ, it was later renamed QQ.
QQ became one of China’s most widely used online communication platforms. Tencent later expanded into gaming, digital payments, social networking, cloud services, and entertainment. WeChat, launched in 2011, became another major Tencent product.
A common mistake is identifying WeChat as the company itself. WeChat is a Tencent service, while Tencent is the broader company founded in 1998. Pony Ma is also distinct from Jack Ma, the founder associated with Alibaba.