The road to innovation of tech giants: Ma Huateng's deep revelation of predicting the disappearance of WeChat QQ
In today's era of rapid technological development, even products that dominate like WeChat and QQ will inevitably be replaced by new things. This point, Tencent's founder Ma Huateng had foreseen for a long time. In 2021, he bluntly predicted at Tencent's all-hands meeting that WeChat and QQ could disappear in the coming decades. This deafening remark has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions inside and outside the industry.
The reason why Ma Huateng made such a prediction stems from his sober understanding of the rapid development of science and technology. Innovation in the field of science and technology is endless, new technologies, new products, and new services are constantly emerging, and many products and services that were once highly regarded will eventually be eliminated. Even the Nokia mobile phone, which was all the rage back then, was eventually replaced by smartphones. Ma Huateng realized that although WeChat and QQ are now dominant, if they do not keep pace with the times and innovate and upgrade, they will eventually be replaced by new things.
In the face of this grim situation, Ma Huateng called on Tencent to have a sense of crisis and not rest on its laurels. He stressed that Tencent should cultivate new growth points, be brave in innovation, and take the lead in emerging fields such as the metaverse and artificial intelligence. Only in this way will Tencent be able to launch new products and services to meet the needs of users and maintain the company's sustainable development in the process of the disappearance of WeChat and QQ.
Tencent is not a tech company that realizes this. Before Ma Huateng, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said: "If you don't subvert your own products, someone will subvert you." This quote speaks to the importance of technology companies to keep innovating. Resting on one's laurels and stagnating will inevitably be replaced by emerging powers.
For tech companies, innovation is a constant theme. They must always pay attention to new trends in technological development, be sensitive to changes in user needs, and continuously launch innovative products and services based on them. Taking Tencent as an example, although WeChat and QQ still dominate the social field, Tencent has been actively laying out new growth points.
In recent years, Tencent has made a lot of investment and layout in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, financial technology and other fields. Tencent Cloud has become one of the leading cloud computing service providers in China. Tencent's AI lab has made many breakthroughs in computer vision, natural language processing and other fields. Tencent's fintech businesses, such as WeChat Pay and Wealth Management, have also brought considerable benefits to the company.
In addition to its presence in emerging technologies, Tencent is also actively expanding into new business areas. For example, Tencent has made significant investments and mergers and acquisitions in recent years in areas such as video games, online education, and online healthcare in an effort to gain a foothold in these emerging markets.
Through these efforts, Tencent is fully prepared for the era after the disappearance of WeChat and QQ. When new social methods and tools emerge, Tencent will be able to rely on its presence in other areas to provide users with high-quality products and services to maintain the company's sustainable development.
Tencent's path to innovation has not been easy. In the process of laying out emerging fields, Tencent has also encountered some setbacks and failures. For example, Tencent once launched an e-book reader called "China Literature", but it ultimately failed due to the lack of strong content support.
Even with occasional failures, Tencent has never given up its determination to innovate. Instead, it learns from its failures and seeks opportunities in new areas. It is this relentless spirit of innovation that has enabled Tencent to remain invincible in the fierce market competition and become one of the most influential technology companies in China and the world.
Looking back at Tencent's development history, it is not difficult to find that innovation is the fundamental driving force for Tencent's continuous growth. From QQ to WeChat, to today's emerging businesses such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, Tencent has always kept up with the trend of technological development and has the courage to innovate and change. It is this spirit of innovation that has enabled Tencent to stand tall in the tide of change and become a leader in the industry.
Ma Huateng's prediction that WeChat and QQ will disappear is the best interpretation of Tencent's innovative spirit. It warns Tencent not to rest on its laurels, but to keep pace with the times, cultivate new growth points, and have the courage to take the lead in emerging fields. Only in this way will Tencent be able to stay ahead of the curve in the era after the disappearance of WeChat and QQ.
Ma Huateng's prophecy conveys a profound enlightenment: in the rapidly changing era of technology, no enterprise can rest on its laurels, and must maintain its innovation vitality and keep pace with the times. The fate of WeChat and QQ will depend on whether Tencent can seize new opportunities and take the lead in emerging areas. Only in this way can Tencent remain invincible in the fierce market competition and continue to provide users with high-quality products and services.