Tencent operates WeChat and was founded in 1998 by Pony Ma and four co-founders.
Tencent Holdings is a Chinese technology conglomerate best known internationally for WeChat, a messaging and services platform. WeChat launched in 2011 and grew beyond chat to include payments, social features, mini-programs, and other services.
The company was founded in Shenzhen in 1998 by Ma Huateng, commonly known as Pony Ma, along with Zhang Zhidong, Xu Cheney, Chen Yidan, and Zeng Liqing. Its first major product was QQ, an instant-messaging service that became widely used in China.
Tencent’s businesses also include online games, digital content, cloud services, and investments in other technology companies. It is sometimes confused with Alibaba, whose core strengths are e-commerce and cloud computing, although both are major Chinese public companies.