Tencent is the Chinese technology company that owns WeChat and was founded in 1998 by Ma Huateng and Zhang Zhidong.
Tencent began with internet services and became one of China’s largest technology groups. Its businesses include social networking, online games, digital content, advertising, fintech, and cloud computing. WeChat, known in China as Weixin, developed from a messaging service into a broad mobile platform for communication, payments, commerce, and public services.
Tencent has repeatedly ranked among the world’s largest companies by market capitalization, although its position changes with share-price movements and regulatory conditions. It is sometimes confused with Alibaba, another major Chinese technology group; Alibaba is more closely associated with e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Tmall.