8. Ma Huateng
Company – Tencent Inc.
2016 earnings – $6.8 billion
Wealth increase – 42.2%
From the small start-up to the business magnate – the story of Tencent Holdings is also a story about Chinese low-profile engineer who due to his virtue appeared on the list of richest in China and worldwide. A year after the establishment of the firm in 1998, Ma, the number 8 in our list of most successful entrepreneurs of 2016, and his four co-founders launched the internet messaging service called QQ, which became the largest in the country in a few years. In order to attract more people, he added games to its services. Texting app WeChat, used by more than 800 million people was launched in 2012, and since then his wealth and firm success have significantly amplified. As long as his online gamers are happy, his wealth will grow considering his earnings of $7.5 billion in 2016.
