Ma Huateng[1] (Chinese: 马化腾; pinyin: Mǎ Huàténg, born October 29, 1971) is a Chinese businessman, investor and philanthropist who is the co-founder, chairperson and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tencent,[2] one of the most valuable companies in East Asia, one of the largest internet and technology companies, and one of the biggest investment, gaming, and entertainment conglomerates in the world.

[20] In November 2017, his net worth briefly surpassed that of Larry Page and Sergey Brin (individually) ranking him the ninth richest man in the world, and the first citizen from China to enter Forbes' top 10 richest list,[21][22][23][24] though the net worth of Page and of Brin have each since eclipsed that of Ma.

[32] Inspired by the idea, Ma and his team launched in February 1999 a similar software, with a Chinese interface and a slightly different name: OICQ (or Open ICQ).

[33] 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.

[34] 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.

By 2004, Tencent became the largest Chinese instant messaging service (holding 74 percent of the market),[34] prompting Ma to list the company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

[32] After the company raised $200 million in June's initial public offering (IPO), Ma quickly became one of the richest people in China's telecom industry.

As of 2015[update], WeChat (微信, Weixin), is the largest instant messaging platform in the world, used by 48 percent of Internet users in the Asia-Pacific region.

[38] In December 2015, Ma announced that Tencent would build an "internet hospital" set up in Wuzhen that will provide long-distance diagnoses and medicine delivery.

[10] Speaking of censorship at a technology conference in Singapore, Ma was quoted as saying: "In terms of information security management, online companies from any country must abide by a defined set of criteria, and act responsibly.