LEGEND
‘
Pony ’ Ma Huateng
He ’ s the founder and face of Tencent , Asia ’ s most valuable company . But what makes ‘ Pony ’ Ma Huateng a legend ?
Share percentage of Tencent
9.7 %
He ’ s one of the world ’ s richest men and the founder of a technology empire . His name ? Ma Huateng , or Pony Ma to his friends and disciples ( Ma means ‘ horse ’). Unlike Alibaba founder Jack Ma ( no relation ), Huateng keeps a low profile , but the influence he wields is like that of few others .
Huateng was the first Chinese person to hit the top 10 of Forbes ’ list of the world ’ s richest people . His investment strategy has been compared to that of the Sage of Omaha , Warren Buffett . But his wealth creation stems from Tencent , the company he founded in 1998 .
Tencent ’ s killer app is WeChat , the ubiquitous Chinese communication app that also bakes in banking , ecommerce and much else besides . But Huateng is also fiercely acquisitive and has amassed a wealth of further opportunities in the tech space .
He has also set up a charitable foundation – the Ma Huateng Global Foundation – to which he donated $ 2.3 billion worth of Tencent stock in 2016 .
Huateng started out designing software for pagers , for which he is reported to have been paid $ 176 a month . He now owns property and artwork valued at around $ 150 million , not to mention that all important 9.7 per cent share of Tencent .
18 March 2021