# Tencent
Latest news and articles about Tencent
Total: 36 articles found
WeChat Cuts Off Ma Huateng’s Viral Push: Yuanbao’s Red‑Envelope Stunt Blocked for Disrupting Chats
WeChat has blocked Yuanbao’s direct red‑envelope links after users complained about aggressive, task‑based sharing that flooded chats and groups. Yuanbao quickly pivoted to a password‑based sharing model, but the move raised questions about internal alignment at Tencent and the limits of viral acquisition inside dominant platforms.
WeChat Blocks Tencent’s Yuanbao Red‑Envelope Push, Underscoring Platform First Rule
WeChat has restricted direct opening of links from Tencent’s Yuanbao app, after the app’s New Year ‘red‑envelope’ campaign spread via high‑frequency share tasks and drew user complaints. The move exposed a strategic rift within Tencent between a product philosophy that defends user experience and a group push to drive rapid user acquisition through viral mechanics.
Hong Kong Market Pauses as Tech Slips and Cyclicals Rally
Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed essentially flat while the Hang Seng Tech index slid nearly 1.8%, led by declines in semiconductor and internet stocks. Gains in coal and property stocks offset tech losses, signalling a rotation from growth to cyclical assets amid profit-taking and shifting sentiment. The split market reaction highlights investor sensitivity to global tech demand and domestic policy signals for property, suggesting continued volatility ahead.
WeChat Blocks Viral Red‑Packet Links as Tencent Cracks Down on Incentivised Sharing
Tencent limited the ability to open Yuanbao red‑packet campaign links directly in WeChat after user complaints that the promotion used task‑based incentives to induce high‑frequency sharing in group chats. Citing its external link rules against share inducements, Tencent moved to restrict the links while Yuanbao says it is urgently revising its sharing mechanism.
Hang Seng Edges Higher as Tech Stocks Slip and AI Plays Rally
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed marginally higher while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell, as AI-related ‘large-model’ stocks and gold miners rallied and major internet platforms like Tencent slid. The session illustrated a market split: speculative AI plays attracted flows even as policy-sensitive mega-cap tech names remained susceptible to rumor-driven volatility.
Alibaba Stakes 3 Billion RMB on 'Action' AI to Win the Spring Festival Battleground
Alibaba is investing RMB 3 billion in a Spring Festival campaign that stitches its Qianwen AI into commerce and local services to serve as an action-capable assistant. The move contrasts with Tencent’s cash-driven social push and ByteDance’s entertainment-focused AI experiences, and could determine which platform secures the mainstream AI entry point in China.
China’s Tech Giants Burn Billions in a New Year ‘Red-Envelope’ Bet to Buy AI Habit
China’s leading tech firms have poured 45 billion yuan into Spring Festival promotions that tie cash rewards to usage of AI assistants, aiming to convert holiday curiosity into habitual use. The campaign marks a strategic shift from traffic grabs to direct competition for the status of ‘AI super‑entry,’ but its long‑term success will depend on retention and differentiated product value.
Tencent’s Billion‑Yuan Red‑Envelope Push: A Sprint to Seed Long‑Term AI Habits
Tencent distributed RMB 1 billion in red envelopes to promote its AI app Yuanbao ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year, briefly overloading servers and generating broad, short‑term engagement. The campaign bought reach inside Tencent’s vast social graph, but turning festive trials into lasting AI habits will depend on product depth, day‑to‑day usefulness and sustained infrastructure investment.
AI Red‑Packet War Sends Hong Kong Tech Stocks Tumbling, Tencent Shares Slide Nearly 5%
China’s internet giants have deployed more than RMB4 billion in AI‑themed red‑packet campaigns ahead of Lunar New Year, prompting a sell‑off in Hong Kong technology stocks. Tencent fell nearly 5% as investors weighed rapid user‑acquisition tactics against margin pressure and uncertain monetisation timelines.
Shanghai Bets on AI: Tencent Executive Says the City Has ‘All‑Round’ Advantages for an AI Boom
Tencent vice‑president and Shanghai political adviser Li Qiang says the city has comprehensive advantages in AI — spanning chips, compute, data and talent — and is a welcoming place for AI startups and professionals. Shanghai’s mix of universities, capital markets and corporate R&D positions it to translate research into commercial AI products, even as chip supply constraints and regulatory issues temper prospects.
China’s Big Three Place a Trillion-RMB Bet on AI — Different Paths, Same High Stakes
China’s leading internet groups are spending hundreds of billions of yuan on AI, each following a different industrial logic: Alibaba is doubling down on cloud and commerce integration, Tencent is turning AI into immediate revenue uplifts inside WeChat and games, and ByteDance is attempting to seize the system‑level gateway on phones. The contest has moved from model architecture to ecosystem control, but talent, chips and capital patience are emerging chokepoints that will determine who converts investment into durable advantage.
Tencent Sprays RMB1bn in Red Packets to Force an AI Door — Can Yuanbao Repeat WeChat’s Coup?
Tencent’s Yuanbao launched a RMB1 billion red‑packet promotion that briefly flooded social networks and propelled the app to the top of China’s app charts. The campaign aims to replicate WeChat’s 2014 red‑packet playbook to seed Yuanbao as a mainstream AI assistant, but faces steeper challenges: lower natural frequency of AI usage, stronger competition, model quality concerns and the well‑documented difficulty of turning paid acquisition into long‑term retention.