Pony Ma

Ma Huateng,[1] also known as Pony Ma, (Chinese: 马化腾; pinyin: Mǎ Huàténg, born October 29, 1971) is a Chinese businessman. He is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tencent,[2][3][4] a Shenzhen-based conglomerate in technology, gaming, entertainment, and financial services. In 2007, 2014,[5] and 2018, Time magazine named him one of the world's most influential people,[6] 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.[7][8] Ma was a deputy to the Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress and a delegate in the 12th National People's Congress.[9] As of November 2025[update], Ma has a net worth of US$63 billion according to Forbes.[10] Ma was born in Chaoyang, Shantou, Guangdong.[11] When his father, Ma Chenshu (马陈术), got a job as a port manager in Shenzhen, the young Ma accompanied him.[12] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Applied Engineering from Shenzhen University in 1993.[13][14] 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.[15] He also worked for Shenzhen Runxun Communications Co. Ltd. (深圳润迅通讯发展有限公司) in the research and development department for Internet calling services.[16] 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.[16] 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).[11] 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.[1