BETA
Chapter 1
The penguin's first steps
Chapter 2
The red envelope revolution
Chapter 3
Leveling up the world
Chapter 4
The invisible giant
Ch 1 · The penguin's first steps
sonia Guide the penguin through early server crashes to discover how Tencent's chat app succeeded.
sonia Tencent QQ Penguin Mascot
Pigeon to a penguin! Pigeon to a penguin! Yeah, we voted penguin!
sonia A lawsuit threat forced Tencent to rename its chat software to QQ and adopt its iconic, scarf-wearing penguin mascot.
Fun Fact
Penguin scarf: The iconic Tencent penguin mascot wears a red scarf because early users complained the original penguin looked too cold.
sonia Tencent launched OICQ, a chat program adapted for Chinese internet cafes, which quickly became a massive sensation.
Glossary
mascot (noun)
A person, animal, or object adopted by an organization as a symbolic representative. In 2000, Tencent adopted a cartoon penguin to represent its growing instant messaging platform.
A person, animal, or object adopted by an organization as a symbolic representative. In 2000, Tencent adopted a cartoon penguin to represent its growing instant messaging platform.
Quiz
Which South African media group bought a massive stake in Tencent in 2001, saving it from bankruptcy?
Quiz
Before messaging took off, what physical device did Tencent's founders try to link with the internet?