Oct
07
Besties? Alibaba, Tencent Are Teaming Up in $15 Billion Deal
ByPhotographer: ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
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Longtime rivals Jack, Pony Ma join forces for second time
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Deal poses threat to China’s Baidu as O2O market expands
Jack Ma and Pony Ma, whose business rivalry dates back more than a decade, are starting to look like the best buddies of China’s Internet.
Jack, founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., and Pony, founder of Tencent Holdings Ltd., are said to be joining forces for the second time this year by combining two startups they’ve financed in a $15 billion deal. Meituan.com, the one partly owned by Alibaba, and Dianping.com, backed by Tencent, have been competing to offer local services online. They may announce a merger as soon as Thursday, people familiar with the matter said…
Besties? Alibaba, Tencent Are Teaming Up in $15 Billion Deal