Tencent operates WeChat, one of the world’s most widely used messaging platforms.
WeChat, known as Weixin in mainland China, combines messaging with social feeds, payments, shopping, games, and other services. This broad “super-app” structure has made Tencent a major force in China’s internet economy and a globally significant technology company by market capitalization.
Tencent also owns or invests in major gaming businesses and operates QQ, an earlier messaging service. Its diverse activities mean that investors assess more than one product when valuing the company. Market capitalization changes with Tencent’s share price and is not a fixed measurement of the company’s revenue.
Tencent was founded in 1998 by Pony Ma and several co-founders. WeChat launched in 2011. Tencent is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and is listed in Hong Kong, so its valuation is commonly discussed in Hong Kong dollars as well as U.S. dollars.