Tencent owns WeChat and is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Tencent was founded in 1998 by Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, and several co-founders. Its first major product was the instant-messaging service QQ. The company later built a broad internet ecosystem covering social media, games, payments, music, video, advertising, and cloud services.
WeChat, known in China as Weixin, was launched in 2011. It developed from a messaging app into a multipurpose platform supporting chats, public accounts, payments, commerce, and mini-programs. Its scale helped make Tencent one of China's most valuable technology companies.
Tencent is sometimes confused with ByteDance because both are major Chinese internet companies. ByteDance owns TikTok, while Tencent owns WeChat. Tencent's primary listing is in Hong Kong, where its shares trade under the symbol 700.