Innovation and Agility at Tencent’s WeChat
Subject
Economics, Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Authors / Editors
Birkinshaw J; de Diego E; Liang-Hong Ke D
Biographies
Publication Year
2019
Abstract
This case analyses the evolution of Tencent, now (in early 2019) one of the top 10 listed companies in the world. The case focuses on WeChat, the social networking and lifestyle app created in 2010 and now (in 2019) with more than one billion users. It describes the emergence and growth of WeChat and how it came to dominate large parts of daily life in China; it also provides insight into how WeChat operates and the current strategic challenges facing WeChat. Unlike some case studies on Tencent and WeChat, this case is based on in-depth interviews with executives in the company and in particular Allen Zhang, the founder of WeChat. It therefore provides an in-depth understanding of how WeChat works internally, and it allows the instructor to draw out some general points about innovation in today’s mobile-first digital economy.
Topic List
Adaptive Innovation, Enterprise Agility, Social Networks
Industry
Media and telecommunications
LBS Case Number
CS-19-013
Location
China
Publication Notes
Available on ECCH
No
