[pronoiac]

> Dropbox has the distinction of being the only cloud service--and perhaps the only startup--ever to compete simultaneously against Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Tencent.

If you're wondering who Tencent is, you're not alone:

http://www.thestreet.com/story/13095109/1/how-tencent-up-140...

They sold games on feature phones, then smartphones, then made WeChat, which is IM, I think, and massive in China. They also have a payment service, and the short version is, they're a competitor to Alibaba.

[LiweiZ]

Tencent started with OICQ (later QQ), a somewhat ICQ clone, back in 1999. One of the most important factors, if not the most important one, contributing to the wild growth of WeChat in China is almost everyone online has at least one QQ number connecting with acquaintances. I think QQ was not as dominant as now. MSN messenger was quite popular among young middle class. In fact, the two are mainly used by different classes. After the shutdown of MSN messenger and the rise of domestic organizations (my personal perspective though), QQ seems to be the only dominant force in the market.

edit: typo and added: In fact, the two are mainly used by different classes.

[jsnk]

Tencent also is the majority interest of Riot Games. Riot Games is the creator of League of Legends which is probably the biggest selling game right now.

[adventured]

Candy Crush likely still owns the distinction of the biggest game when it comes to on-going revenue generation. King Digital did $2.2 billion in sales last year ($586m last quarter), almost entirely on Candy Crush. Estimates put League of Legends at the $1 billion ballpark for 2014 (up from $624m in 2013).