1. Ma Huateng
Industry Technology and media
Net worth RMB282.0 billion
Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, co-founded Chinese internet giant Tencent in 1998 with four Shenzhen classmates. Legend has it Ma was pulling in a monthly salary of US$176 at the time. Tencent’s breakout product was messaging service QQ, which was based on ICQ, the world’s first online messenger. Over a decade later, Tencent launched WeChat—now the most popular messenger service in the world and closing in on a billion users worldwide.