700

Tencent Holdings Ltd

One of the world's largest internet and gaming companies, Tencent is the Chinese tech giant behind WeChat — a "super-app" where hundreds of millions chat, pay bills, and shop — plus a wide lineup of hit video games. Founded in Shenzhen in 1998 by Pony Ma and four co-founders, it launched a messenger called OICQ that was renamed QQ after a trademark clash with AOL. The Chinese name Tengxun pairs "soaring" with "information," a fitting tag for a firm that grew from a struggling startup into a global digital powerhouse.