The case, set in 2024, describes the transformation of Digital China, a large IT services company in China that had grown proactively and ambitiously into new digital services, including artificial intelligence (AI). The case briefly describes the company's background so we can see how it has evolved over the years alongside the major technology changes in the broader business environment. It then goes into detail on the shift to data services, cloud computing and AI offerings over the last five years. As well as describing what Digital China does and how it works, the case also showcases the vision and 'theories' of its CEO, Mr Guo Wei. Mr Guo has some interesting and provocative ideas about how the digital revolution is changing the nature of competitive advantage, and the case gives the students exposure to these ideas in a way that should stimulate debate.

This case analyses the evolution of Tencent, now (in early 2019) one of the top 10 listed companies in the world. The case focuses on WeChat, the social networking and lifestyle app created in 2010 and now (in 2019) with more than one billion users. It describes the emergence and growth of WeChat and how it came to dominate large parts of daily life in China; it also provides insight into how WeChat operates and the current strategic challenges facing WeChat. Unlike some case studies on Tencent and WeChat, this case is based on in-depth interviews with executives in the company and in particular Allen Zhang, the founder of WeChat. It therefore provides an in-depth understanding of how WeChat works internally, and it allows the instructor to draw out some general points about innovation in today's mobile-first digital economy.