Synopsis

In 2019, a Chinese entity called Tencent overtook Facebook to become the world’s fifth-largest company. It was a watershed moment, a wake-up call for those in the West accustomed to regarding the global tech industry through the prism of Silicon Valley: Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft.

Yet to many of the two billion-plus people who live just across the Pacific Ocean, it came as no surprise at all.

Tencent’s ambition to be an essential part of digital daily life means it holds a dizzyingly diverse range of products – music, gaming, messaging, and film. In this fascinating narrative – crammed with insider interviews, exclusive details about the company’s culture – tech reporter Lulu Chen tells the story of how Tencent is changing the world and asks what the consequences will be for us all.