Allen Zhang (张小龙)
Allen Zhang (张小龙) is a Chinese programmer and technology executive, known as the creator of WeChat and the Foxmail email client. Per Tencent’s official site, he is a senior executive vice president of Tencent and president of its Weixin Group.
Background and notable work
- Education: according to his English Wikipedia entry, he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in telecommunication engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1991 and 1994 respectively.
- Foxmail: according to the Wikipedia article on Foxmail, the freeware email client was originally written by Allen Zhang; Foxmail was acquired by Tencent in 2005.
- WeChat: according to the Wikipedia article on WeChat, the WeChat project began at Tencent’s Guangzhou research center in October 2010, the original version of the app was created by Allen Zhang, the name “Weixin” (微信) was given by Pony Ma, and the product launched in 2011. WeChat has since grown into a platform spanning messaging, social content, Mini Programs and payments; see the WeChat entry.
- Current role: per Tencent’s official management team page, he serves as senior executive vice president and president of the Weixin Group (see Tencent).
Mentioned in the show
Zhang does not appear in the episodes quoted on this page; the following is the hosts’ discussion. In the 邮件和微信：国内外的信息流差异 (Email and WeChat: how information flows differ on and off the mainland) chapter of Weekly #005 (Chinese transcript), the hosts discuss how information flows differ between China and overseas: Yang Pan notes that daily interactions in China happen “全是通过 App” (entirely inside apps), Xiangyang Qiaomu says “这种体验只能依赖微信了” (this kind of experience can only rely on WeChat), and Orange adds “微信，还是靠龙哥” (“WeChat — it still comes down to Long Ge”) (see that line). “Long Ge” (Brother Long) in the transcript refers to Zhang Xiaolong; the remark is about Chinese users’ digital lives depending heavily on WeChat, whose ecosystem is hard to leave.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Allen Zhang (张小龙)?
The creator of WeChat and Foxmail, and a senior executive vice president of Tencent who leads its Weixin Group. See Tencent’s management team page.
What is Allen Zhang’s role in WeChat?
The WeChat project began at Tencent’s Guangzhou research center in October 2010, the original version was created by him, and the product launched in 2011; after the Weixin Group was established in 2014, he has served as its president.
Is the “Zhang Xiaolong” associated with Fenbi the same person?
No. The Zhang Xiaolong associated with the education brand Fenbi is a different person with the same name (the Chinese Wikipedia article on Fenbi records him as a former exam-prep lecturer); this entry is about Zhang Xiaolong the creator of WeChat.