Tencent: The Secretive, Chinese Tech Giant That Can Rival Facebook and Amazon

A tech war has raged in China, and a winner seems ready to emerge. It's Tencent--a controversial, $139 billion company with nearly a billion users, which functions like Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, and Uber all rolled into one. Now it's gunning for global expansion.

China's most powerful Internet company is headquartered in a bland, glassy tower in southern Shenzhen. Unlike Silicon Valley's funky campuses, there is nothing to reveal that this might be a hub of creativity. An insurance company, perhaps? In the middle of its nondescript, corporate lobby, an information desk stands next to the only sign of personality: a pair of giant plush penguins, the Tencent mascot times two. Nearby, an iPad displays stats on the company's messaging services. But when I pull out a notebook and start jotting down the numbers, the receptionist waves her hand. "Oh no, that's not updated!" she says. "It's just for show."

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