Tencent takes share of JD.com

I’ve seen JD.com advertised on the Shanghai metro in places like this.  The ad, which is illuminated by backlighting is actually placed on the opposite side of the platform, so that it is partially hidden when the train comes along.  STDecaux (not sure about that name choice but it’s totally global and sounds pretty French) won a contract to supply Shanghai Metro with their advertising, and though I can hardly remember the brands they advertise (unless they’re floating in my subconscious, in which case kudos to you, STDecaux) I always notice the STDecaux symbol just because the ads are so creative and breathe a very welcome life into an otherwise typical metro station. 

Anyway, one of my favorite Chinese companies, Tencent, just bought a stake in JD.com.  JD.com always has the wacky ads with Chinese girls in pajamas bitching at their husbands about some financial isssues.

The ad says: 骗女生后果很严重! = There are serious consequences to lying to your lady!

So now Tencent has:

• 1.      Online retailing through JD.com.  This could make them a major competitor to Taobao, the more everyday-Joe arm of Alibaba.  Like Amazon, but you can do everything on Taobao: buy things and have them delivered to your door and negotiate with the vendor on pricing through those cute little chat windows, pay bills, book a taxi or train ticket, find a job, meet friends, get married probably,  etc.  I have no experience with JD.com.  One beef with Taobao is that every time you click something you have a new tab, so you quickly lose track of where you were.  Another beef is that they're not too friendly to foreigners.  Perhaps JD.com can be competitive there.  
• 2.      Social media and  instant messaging through Wechat, which is awesome and makes my social life possible.
• 3.      Still more messaging and email service through QQ, which, like, everyone and their mom’s got in China. Also they're acquiring large parts of gaming companies like Riot Games and Epic Games, putting their product in the hands of millions of bored metro passengers.

I like this quote from WSJ, with the speaker referring to Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent:

"The three Internet kingdoms are battling it out to decide who's going to be the king of the Internet space." 


Second favorite Chinese company:  Xiaomi.  Little Rice, or something.  More on them later.