Tencent Shifts AI Strategy Toward Enterprise with WorkBuddy

In the summer, Pony Ma, founder of Tencent Holdings, described the company’s artificial-intelligence efforts as “a leaky ship.” The comment reflected growing concerns that Tencent, long dominant through WeChat and gaming, was lagging behind newer AI-focused firms such as DeepSeek in the post-ChatGPT era. To address the gap, senior executive Dowson Tong, a veteran of Silicon Valley, advocated refocusing the AI push on business applications rather than consumer chatbots.

Japan Times

Tong’s plan materialized as WorkBuddy, an AI assistant that integrates Tencent’s messaging and office tools with agents capable of processing data and generating reports. By the fall, the service had attracted roughly 32 million monthly users— a user base that the source claims exceeds the combined totals of its rivals. The rollout positioned WorkBuddy as a “Claude-style” coworking assistant, signaling Tencent’s early-phase emphasis on enterprise agents.

Japan Times

Tencent’s pivot to enterprise-focused AI aims to monetize the technology more effectively and restore its tech credibility. Executives view the move as a critical step toward narrowing the competitive distance with ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, and Alibaba Group Holding. The broader Chinese AI landscape now includes fast-rising firms such as DeepSeek and Moonshot AI, which have helped propel the nation to a leading position in the global AI race. WorkBuddy’s early success suggests Tencent can capture a share of the lucrative enterprise-AI segment while reshaping its long-term industry standing.

Japan Times

Pony Ma’s “leaky ship” characterization underscored internal urgency for a strategic overhaul. Dowson Tong, speaking in Shenzhen this week, explained that focusing on business-oriented agents would allow Tencent to better monetize AI and regain credibility. He highlighted the rapid user growth of WorkBuddy as evidence that the enterprise-first approach is resonating with customers.

Japan Times