Pony Ma stated that Tencent's transformation is already late, with half of the people sticking to the old business and the other half working on AI
At Tencent's internal all-staff meeting celebrating its 28th anniversary, Ma Huateng proposed to accelerate organizational change. He believes that Tencent's transformation is somewhat late and cannot leisurely feel secure anymore. Ma Huateng compared it to the army and navy, stating that traditional core businesses like gaming and social networking must be safeguarded, but efficiency should be improved using AI. For example, tasks that originally required everyone can now be completed by half the staff, freeing up the other half to explore AI-native businesses and seek new growth points.Ma Huateng's previous statements regarding AI have been traceable. In January of this year, he emphasized that Tencent's AI layout should be steady and solid; in May, he used a ship analogy, stating that they initially thought they had secured a ticket for the AI ship, only to later find it was leaking and had to switch to another one. He specifically mentioned Google, believing that initially, everyone was worried about AI impacting search, but later felt that Google seemed to withstand it. Looking at this year, he noted that "the wave has really come," and traditional businesses like content cannot feel secure either. Google's search advertising revenue still grew by 12% in the third quarter of this year, but the growth rate has continuously declined from 19% in the first quarter to 17% in the second quarter, with management admitting that the commercial monetization capability of AI Mode is weak. On the day of its 28th anniversary, Tencent launched "Yuanbao Search," redoing the search process with a large model and integrating content from public accounts and video accounts.Ma Huateng also told the internal management that organizational transformation can no longer be about coddling employees, repeatedly persuading them, and negotiating terms. Some people even want to negotiate management positions before participating in new businesses. He demanded a flatter organization, with employees needing to quickly switch skills and adapt to new positions, stating that this reform is different from the "cost reduction and efficiency increase" from a few years ago, which mainly focused on cutting costs. Now, it is about changing the way the organization and personnel work, running faster with the existing manpower, and enabling small teams to accomplish big tasks. Related speeches subsequently sparked discussions in employee communities, with rumors of "Tencent laying off 50%" and "laying off 8,000 people" appearing on platforms like Maimai and Xiaohongshu. Tencent's PR director Zhang Jun clarified that the so-called 50% was merely a metaphor used by Ma Huateng for organizational transformation and not the layoff ratio, nor has it been announced that half of the employees would be laid off.