Pony Ma Huateng, founder and CEO of Tencent Holdings, said in his annual address to employees that he was confident in China’s economic prospects and pleased with the growth of the company’s video game revenue in overseas markets.
The low-profile Ma, who rarely speaks in public, built Tencent from scratch into a tech behemoth in media, video gaming and payment services.
Video clips and summaries of Ma’s speech, delivered to employees at a stadium in Shenzhen where the company is based, were shared on Chinese social media on Tuesday. One clip showed Tencent executives, led by Ma, singing in front of employees.
In reviewing the company’s sprawling business empire, Ma gave an upbeat assessment, saying Tencent had “bottomed out” and enjoyed a bright future as the company has “the talent, the technologies, and the market demand”. Ma encouraged employees to work together to overcome future challenges.