Ma Huateng

Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, (, born October 29, 1971) is a Chinese businessman. He is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tencent, a Shenzhen-based conglomerate in technology, gaming, entertainment, and financial services. In 2007, 2014, and 2018, Time magazine named him one of the world's most influential people, while in 2015, Forbes credited him as one of the world's most powerful people. In 2017, Fortune ranked him as among the top businessmen of the year. Ma was a deputy to the Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress and a delegate in the 12th National People's Congress. , Ma has a net worth of US$63 billion according to Forbes.

Early life Ma was born in Chaoyang, Shantou, Guangdong. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Applied Engineering from Shenzhen University in 1993.

Career Founding of Tencent and early career Ma's first job was with China Motion Telecom Development, a supplier of telecommunications services and products, where he was in charge of developing software for pagers. He reportedly earned $176 per month. He also worked for Shenzhen Runxun Communications Co. Ltd. in the research and development department for Internet calling services.

Along with four other classmates, Ma Huateng went on to co-found Tencent in 1998. The company's first product came after Ma participated in a presentation for ICQ, the world's first Internet instant messaging service, founded in 1996 by an Israeli company. The product quickly became popular and garnered more than a million registered users by the end of 1999, making it one of the largest such services in China.

In a 2009 interview with China Daily, he stated: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants", paraphrasing a quote attributed to Isaac Newton and referencing the similarities between ICQ and OICQ. "We knew our product had a future, but at that time we just couldn't afford it."

Since Tencent offered its flagship service OICQ for free, the company sought venture capital to cover its rising operational costs. In 2000, Ma secured funding from U.S. investment firm IDC and Hong Kong telecom carrier Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW), which acquired a 40% stake in Tencent for $2.2 million. With the pager market shrinking, Ma improved the messaging platform by allowing OICQ users to send messages to mobile handsets. Afterwards, 80 percent of the company's revenue came from deals struck with telecom operators who agreed to share message fees.

After the AOL case, Ma decided to expand the business portfolio of Tencent. In 2003, Tencent released its own portal (QQ.com) and made forays into the online games market. By 2004, Tencent became the largest Chinese instant messaging service (holding 74 percent of the market),

Mimicking Microsoft, Ma created two competing teams of engineers in 2010 and charged them with creating a new product. After two months, one team presented an app for text messaging and group chat – WeChat – which launched in January 2011. , WeChat (, Weixin), is the largest instant messaging platform in the world, used by 48 percent of Internet users in the Asia-Pacific region.

Other diverse services provided by Tencent include web portals, e-commerce, and multiplayer online games. Online games such as Legend of Yulong and Legend of Xuanyuan boosted revenue by more than half, up to US$5.1 billion, with a US$1.5 billion profit margin.

Other activities

Philanthropy In 2016, Ma transferred US$2.3 billion worth of his personal Tencent shares to his charitable foundation, the Ma Huateng Global Foundation .

Politics According to the official Tencent website, Ma is a deputy to the 5th Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress and served in the 12th National People's Congress.

Personal life Ma uses the nickname Pony, derived from the English translation of his family name, Ma , which means "horse." Ma Huateng seldom speaks with Western media.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, a majority of Ma's wealth comes from an 8 percent stake in Tencent Holdings. He reportedly owns property in Hong Kong and art pieces worth US$150 million. He owns a redeveloped palatial residence of in Hong Kong.