Chinese tech executives and their college entrance exams
chinaplus.cri.cn | Updated: 2018-06-07 10:20
3. Pony Ma
Pony Ma is a Chinese business magnate, investor, philanthropist, engineer, Internet and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent. Tencent is Asia's most valuable company, one of the largest Internet and technology companies and the biggest investment, gaming and entertainment conglomerate in the world.
Ma moved with his parents to Shenzhen at the age of 14. Pony turned 18 years old in 1989. It is said that Pony received 739 points in the Gaokao, which was over 100 points above the cutoff line for China's most competitive universities. However, he applied for Shenzhen University to be closer to home.
Ma loved astronomy at a young age but changed his major to computer science during university, when he realized that studying astronomy offered limited professional options.