WeChat’s star founder seeks second act for China’s super-app

Allen Zhang Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Allen Zhang stepped on stage to wrap up a long day of presentations at a Tencent Holdings Ltd conference. Four hours later, the WeChat founder had methodically torn apart his own brainchild before mapping out the next act for China’s premier super-app. 

Zhang, who commands a cult-like following in China thanks to WeChat’s explosive popularity, got an audience of thousands glued to their seats till nearly midnight last week. The usually reclusive executive, in a company known for low-key leaders, laid out a vision for how the platform used by a billion people should evolve: by emulating real life and social circles.